Imagine this scenario: You are in the middle of cooking dinner. Helping a child with homework, and discussing plans with your oldest child, when the phone rings:
"Hello," you say rather hurriedly. On the other end, a gasp, a sob, and it's a member of your church. "I must have caught you at a bad time..." what do you do? Many of us would say, no, what's wrong...but perhaps inside we would be saying. "Oh, no why now!!! " When we do take the time to listen to her story, we find out that some major trouble has visited their family. Again we have a choice, how to respond. Invite her over, drop everything and go see her, pray with her and tell her you will continue praying' There are really no concrete right and wrong answers in responding to troubles. (We need to seek God's wisdom for each scenario). However if we find ourselves resisting the stirrings of compassion in our bowels we may be in danger of hardening our hearts and shutting down one of the ways Jesus himself was motivated to reach out to others. That was with something called COMPASSION.
Matthew 14:13 state that when Jesus heard that Herod had beheaded his cousin, John,, he departed to a deserted place to be alone. He was grieving. Have you ever lost a loved one? It is usually a time when we need others to minister to us, and yet the scriptures tell us that the multitudes followed him no foot from the cities. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them and healed their sick (Matthew 14:14)
The word, compassion, in Greek, means to be moved as to one's bowels, (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity). That gives a graphic picture of how deep our Lord's love, caring & and concern ran in His heart for us. (When was the last time your "bowels" or inward heart was moved--touched or had a response to a need?) . As a leader, compassion is not an option. Having a heart that is tender and concerned for God's family is an obligation. We are commanded to love each other, and as leaders we must rise to this command. We must ask God to enlarge the borders of our hearts so that it will encompass His people in His way. I Peter 3:8 states: having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous.
Both Darryl and I were discipled into ministry by some very wise and experienced people of God. They were men and women who challenged us, by their words and deeds, to put Jesus first in all areas of our lives. Which included learning to love the unlovely and looking to meet their needs. It is now to us the norm. I have come to treasure the lessons of learning to love others before your self. I believe that compassion is one way to deal with the works of selfishness. I would like to challenge you to begin to ask, seek, and knock in a new commitment for God to lead you into new measures of grace and lessons for His kingdom's sake. This will of necessity, require our hearts to increase in compassion because most of the tools He uses in shaping our lives involve people.
Several years ago, we pastored a church and ran a house ministry in Medford, Oregon. The house was a place where people in need and people who were called to walk in ministry lived side by side. God used many of the people in the house to give us on-the-spot lessons in love, grace, and forgiveness.
One fellow, who found his way into our lives, was not very lovely. He was quite large and very volatile. (The reason why he was a part of our lives is another story). He was the sort of fellow who was not only large in stature, but also large in attitudes, opinions, and determination. To say that he was dysfunctional would describe him mildly. One Sunday after church we were ready to get in the car and go home. He refused to move over in the back seat and let some others in. One thing led to another, and my husband had reached the end of his rope when George threatened to kill Darryl. Darryl simply walked back into the church and fell to his face on the floor, praying. I walked back into the building on my way to the telephone to call the police, God stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and saw Darryl on the floor and George standing next to him. God spoke to my heart and said "I have no favorites here, I love them both. They are both my sons. Of course, I will honor the one who is doing my will, but not because I love the other any less ". I started crying and eventually shared this with the group. We prayed for George who repented of his actions. I heard the compassion in God's voice as He spoke to me about His wayward son. I will never forget the lesson I learned that day.
Here is another story that illustrates what compassion can cost.
Lough Fook, a Chinese Christian, moved with compassion for the coolies in the South African mines, sold himself for a term of five years as a coolie slave, and was transported to Demerara, to carry the Gospel to his countrymen working there. He toiled in the mines with them and preached Jesus while he toiled, till he had scores of whom he could speak as Paul of Onesimus, "whom I have begotten in my bonds."
Lough Fook died; but not until he had won to the Savior nearly 200 disciples who joined the Christian church. Where in the centuries has that lowliest feature in the condescension of the Man of Sorrows- 'He took upon Him the form of a slave"-been so literally reproduced as here?
Most likely, God is not asking you to sell yourself as a coolie in the South African mine pits, but what else could compassion cause you to do? Love the difficult people in your life? Cause you to reach out to your neighborhood? Begin a program for young mothers in your church? Work with the homeless, crisis pregnancy agency? Simply resolve to pray for God's direction and look for opportunities to be a voice for Him? In the opening scenario perhaps the most compassionate thing for this woman would be to continue ministering to her families needs.
Who knows where a heart of compassion will lead?
The other night I woke up with this question in my heart: "How much would I pay?" How valuable is the Pearl for me?" The kingdom of heaven is like a fine pearl which a will seek to obtain at the cost of all that he has (Mt. 13:45).
Jesus, as the merchant, paid His all for us, His church. We (as His church) were the Pearl of Great price. He paid the ultimate price, His life. What will I give in return?
Written by: Martha Rodman