2017
A Year to Increase Compassion Kelly Durant 1-7-17
1 John 3:16
16 Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren. 1 John 3:17
But whoso hath this world's good,
and sees his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion
from him, how dwells the love of God in him?
2. According to a Miami Herald article that I found last
week, people here don’t care for each other in our neighborhood. (http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article123076079.html)
Observe that we see that Miami, and Hialeah rank almost at the very bottom of
100 cities in the U.S.A. in showing compassion on people with needs. In other
words, we live in one of the coldest hearted cities in America! I am not
surprised by this discovery, you and I can feel it day to day from our
neighbors. There are many nice people here but it is obvious many people have
never been taught nor exposed to what showing compassion really means.
Many of you may not even perceive this sad phenomenon though.
This level of indifference and rudeness is just normal for you in your day to
day actions. What we are focusing in on here is nothing new as Jesus told us
that “the love of many will wax cold”. Sadly,
our expectancy in this decaying world is that year after it will be getting
worse.
But look at with this focus, the people of the world are
getting worse but it should not be that way with us who know to live
differently with God’s love! We are
renewed from day to day with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and we should be getting
warmer and more loving, caring, and compassionate from day to day.
Today let’s examine ourselves and our immediate surroundings
as they relate to how we are serving one another. You and I live here and we
must do an assessment, are we a part of the problem, or a part of the solution?
Now that a year has gone by, have you assessed all that has happened to you?
People that knew you a year ago, what do they think of you now? What does God
think of you? Only you know the secrets He will hold you accountable for. What
about all that has happened in our community and what could you or I have done
to make it better?
3. The question of
the day is: How much
compassion do you have really have for others? What you think about yourself
and what God and others perceive could be very different. Proverbs 21:2 Every way
of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord
pondereth the hearts.
There are many verses in the Bible that command us to show
compassion but few people make big progress towards this. In the verses of
today in 1 John 3 it basically helps you to see that a person that says they
love God and do not do anything to help those in need is basically lying. Words
must be accompanied by deeds to be true.
I have talked to hundreds of people that have had bad
experiences with pretend be Christians. These people explained that they needed
something emotionally, spiritually, or physically and that the church’s pastor
or leaders let them down. Have you ever been let down? Have you ever let
someone down? Jesus never let anyone down, he fed 5,000 that later He said some
were following Him just for the food; Jesus healed the sick that often did not
thank Him like only 1 leper out of 10, but He preached and gave love as God’s
main message even though in the end He was not loved and appreciated by all.
Showing compassion
for others proves you love God! Like in Matthew 25:43-45
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me
not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me
not.
44 Then shall they also answer him,
saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked,
or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them,
saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of
these, ye did it not to me.
4. Have you ever thought about it but you cannot be made to
show compassion? It’s like that Bonnie Raitt song that says, “I can’t’ make you
love me if you don’t, I can’t make your heart feel something it won’t.” The
reality is that unless a person is a true Christian and fully decided to live
practicing the love of God as Jesus did it, there is no chance of that person ever
having compassion come out of their heart causing them to do something good for
someone without personal interest.
Jesus stated
the reality of how people’s hearts are in Matthew 15: 19 For out of
the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts,
false witness, blasphemies:
The truth is the world in which we live in is made up of
people making our community into a hell because of their selfishness, indifference,
and unconverted heart. Only Jesus, compassion, and love can change our human
hearts of stone, so how do we change? Start first with yourself! To combat this evil
you and I must have Jesus as the answer. This is why only Jesus makes logical
sense as the solution as He was and is the only enlightened teacher (Son of
God) who lived and died to exemplify to us, the decrepit humans we are, how to
make a better world like in the Kingdom of God where all are ruled by
compassion and love.
5. So this new year if you want a new goal for 2017 pray to
practice that of having more compassion! Having compassion takes on many forms, one is
that in being active in providing for the basic needs of another. In the
majority of the churches today you would never get that opportunity, but that
is not the case with us, we provide food, toys, shelter, and many things all
the time. If you want to practice 1 John3 here, just show up here to load and
unload boxes of food and help us when we organize and distribute. Ask yourself,
have I ever helped the Captain and his team with the food or toy distribution?
Have I ever prayed with Cuban or Venezuelan refugees who show up for clothing?
I know many of you have helped others who have nothing, God bless you!
The Salvation Army represents one of the most important
ministries in the community because it is not just an old institution seeking to
enrich the institution and leadership making the church more luxurious, but
rather it is a mission that exists to help with the needs of people. You and I
must be involved in serving others. If we do not participate in the day to day
activities then you will never get to fully understand what our movement, or
Christianity for that matter, is all about. This means that you will live your
Christianity compassionate challenged! In my opinion if you never ever sweat or
cry while doing ministry, if no sacrifice is ever made, it may mean your faith
is false! Obeying Jesus will tax you, but it is eternally worth it!
What is
worse than a savorless, indifferent, uncompassionate Christian? The kind that
won’t even say, “Good morning” to you while at church? Jesus warned that those who
know to do His will and did not do it, would be judged for not being
compassionate…. Luke 12:47
And
that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did
according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
6. There are also some other aspects to include on practicing
compassion. One other way compassion is manifested is that in understanding
another person and not criticizing them.
Most everyone has rough edges and you and I cannot smooth those out for
them, it is something they must work on with God. What are your weak areas? It
is the Holy Spirit that changes minds and hearts and it took years of God
working on me to get me to be where I am at today to be willing to serve
anyone, anytime, anywhere. In my pride in my youth I only wanted to be
surrounded by vain and cool people but I changed totally.
What we do know is that love covers a multitude of sins, and
when we see a fault, the best thing is to tell that person in private some advice
that could help them. We need to do our best to try and get past having
personal conflicts over issues that may not matter so much in the big picture.
Often the compassionate thing to do is to just, “let it pass”.
Learn to let pass the things that are not perfect according
to your expectations. Compassion is getting to know other people. When you
wonder why a person is the way they are, take time to ask them about their story
about how life has been to them. If they are trying to be close to God, then we
must trust God that they will learn the lessons they need to learn in time. God
does not govern over bastards but sons, and God does send us lessons. When I see
my brothers and sisters angry at one another over things, often due to a lack
of love, forgiveness, and compassion, I know God’s spirit is not yet in total control.
Don’t let yourself be like the scribes and Pharisee hypocrites who criticized
Jesus for everything, such as healing on the Sabbath. Some people don’t live
nor let live as they find something wrong with everything and everyone all the
time. If you don’t like how the food was made or the mess to clean up, ok, then
you be in charge next time!
7. Remember in your service here that you are just here
serving others to please Jesus in the end, so how does He see your attitude in
your service and practice of compassion? You or I are not pleasing Jesus if
there needs to be a struggle over who controls what, or who is in total control
of something. The 12 disciples were a team. Everything that will ever be done may
not be as you or I want it, but we need each other.
In the Salvation Army we are at war with evil, at war against
poverty, suffering, and our fight is to rescue souls lost in despair. Our fight
is never amongst ourselves. In war battles things never turn out as planned, in
wars some battles are lost, some things get damaged, and some people desert the
battlefield. And some people instead of
having their brother’s back let them get shot! But we keep on fighting because
the final victory will be won by Jesus and his angels!
There are many things that get done around here that I would
do differently, but because I am thankful for the service of others, I don’t
stress the situation by making others do things exactly my way. Compassion allows for flexibility. Compassion
should not allow for rudeness though, and when someone is in a bad mood, edgy,
or upset, it would be better they take some time out to pray and get back in
tune with God’s spirit so they do not offend others and make all the good getting
done turn out to leave everyone with a bad vibe in their spirit. Compassion is
treating everyone with love and respect especially when you don’t feel like it.
8. I think
just living life we all get opportunities to do something for someone, to help
them when they first arrive in this country, to help them when they have lost
their job and need to pay bills. There are people walking in our doors daily
that need help.
Not all help
is just physical. We can help others by praying for them, listening to them,
and doing at least what we can to let them know God loves them and we do too.
Love and compassion is the essence of life, hope, and faith.
1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of
God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren. Ask yourself, am I doing this in the capacity that God
expects? If you don’t get better at being like Jesus from year to year you may
be getting worse or more bitter, not better! Be like the compassionate Good
Samaritan who was enemies with the other man but helped him anyway!
