Today, we shall be looking at a very vital moral quality that is rapidly going extinct due to the vicious demonic end-time strategy to erode, corrode and make callous the hearts of men by flooding them with scenes of violence/war; news of evil befalling the caring; a pandemic sense of being first to tell stories on the internet/electronic media; and morbid rush for money.
Topic: COMPASSION FOR CONTEMPORARY LIFE Subtexts: Gal.6:1-2; 1Pet.3:8
“Compassion” comes from the Latin root ‘passio’ which means ‘To suffer’ and is paired with the prefix ‘com’ meaning ‘together’. So it means ‘To Suffer Together”
The Greek words translated as compassion have to do with “to be moved as to one’s inwards; to have bowels yearn; to feel sympathy with; to commiserate.
This indispensable Christian quality can be defined as the feeling of profound sympathy and sorrow for a stricken, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering. It is a complex of sympathy, empathy, understanding, and pity in emotion and attitude.
It is the gateway to the miraculous in ministry (cons. Matt.9:36).
It was God’s instrument in the preservation of Moses (Exo.2:5-6), and it adorned the ministries of Moses, David, Daniel, Jeremiah, Lord Jesus, and the apostles (Deut.9”25-29; 2Sam.9:1-13; Dan.2:10-13,24; Jer.7:16; Matt.9:36; 23:37; Lk.13:34; 19:41-44; Rom.9:1-3; 10:1).
Often a time it is found lacking in people in their comfort zones (Job 12:5), but demonstrated by the disadvantaged (Lk.10:30-33).
It abounds in God (Exo.3:7; 33:19; Ps.76:38; 86:15; 103:13; 111:5; 119:156; Isa.54:10; Lam.3:22) and demanded in God’s children (Rom.15:1; Gal.6:2; Phil.2:25-28; 1Pet.3:8).
It is a product of love and manifests as kindness, and is an indication of having a fleshly heart (Ezek.11:19; 36:26).
Kindness is shown in attitude – politeness, and action of assistance to the disadvantaged in health, age, position, society, etc irrespective of the beneficiary’s emotional attachment (Pro.24:17-18; Matt.5:44-46).
Compassion draws people (the object) to Christ and attracts divine reward (Ps.41:1; cp.Pro.21:13).
Christian compassion transcends human inclination (cons. Rom.9:1-3).
The elements that make it up are (i) Recognizing suffering (ii) Feeling for the victim (iii) Emotionally connecting with the distress (iv) Tolerating any inconvenience aroused.
For anyone to do anything meaningful in the kingdom at this end of the age, such must acquire compassion, and nurture it. (Matt.5:6; 6:33).
The acquisition is through prayerful consideration of one’s state of heart, and people’s matters, juxtaposing it with that of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Then deciding to act whenever the opportunity calls.