Compassion

[B-A-C]

Are you a compassionate person?

How you ever really loved someone? I mean really loved someone. Have you loved them to the point of...
when they hurt, you hurt for them. When they're happy, you're happy with them. When they're sad your sad with them.
This is often easy to do for our children. It's sometimes a little more difficult for our spouses, but what about others in your church body?
In fact, what about your unsaved neighbors and friends?

Heb 13:3; Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

Gal 6:2; Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

Do you hurt for others, do you feel their pain? Do you rejoice in their happiness? Do you bear their burdens?
In short, do you have a heart of compassion?

Col 3:12; So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

Perhaps compassion for others who are hurting is what makes us different. Maybe it's one of the things we should strive to be like Jesus with.

Matt 9:36; Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd
Matt 14:14; When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
Matt 20:34; Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.
Mark 1:41; Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and *said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."
Mark 8:2; "I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat.
Luke 7:13; When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, "Do not weep."

Over 19 times in the New Testament, Jesus is mentioned as having compassion. In the parable of the good Samaritan, what made him different from
the others that walked on by and pretended not to see someone hurting and in need?

Luke 10:33; "But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,

In the parable of the prodigal son, what made the father willing to take the wayward son back?

Luke 15:20; "So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

As Christians we are fortunate, and we are forgiven. Thank God for the sacrifice of Jesus who cover our sins. I ty to remember t thank him often
for the sacrifice he made for me and my sins. And while his sacrifice appeases the law of sin and death, is this really what God wants?

Matt 9:13; "But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Matt 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT A SACRIFICE,' you would not have condemned the innocent.
(These are a quote of Psalms 40:6 also see Prov 21:3;

I know many of us are willing to help out friends and family, and even hurt for them, but what about those in the world that don't know Jesus?
Is there a better way to show Jesus to them other than to love them? I mean really love them.

Luke 14:12; And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment.
Luke 14:13; "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
Luke 14:14; and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Php 2:1; Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
Php 2:2; make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
Php 2:3; Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Php 2:4; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
Php 2:5; Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Php 2:6; who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Php 2:7; but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Php 2:8; Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Can we be like Jesus? Can we have compassion for others? Even strangers?

 

[B-A-C]

Hopefully this is close enough to the same topic so I don't lose people here.

Hurting for others, I've always taken the following verses about being "one flesh" many different ways. But one of those ways is that when your flesh hurts, you hurt!!!

Gen 2:24; For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Matt 19:5; and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'? ( Also see Mark 10:8; and Eph 5:31; )
Matt 19:6; "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

Now obviously these verses are taken in the context of marriage, but even so... when your husband or wife hurts.. do you hurt for them? Are you happy or sad with them?

Eph 5:28; So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

Now of course that verse has a rather broad meaning, but I think we can agree none of us want our own bodies to hurt. And yet, sometimes those are the ones we hurt the most.
I don't think it's only talking about physical pain here. Husbands, do you feel pain when your wife feels pain? Are you sad when she is sad?

I guess when it all comes down to it.. do you have compassion for her?

 

[RJ]

Can we be like Jesus? Can we have compassion for others? Even strangers?
No, yes and yes.
We can strive to be as much like Jesus in many ways and as possible but never like him, unless you mean similar as Jesus.
I onced had a liberal tell me that he didn't think that conservatives could be compassionate, like he owned it!
I think that "Jesus Like Compassion" is a fruit of the spirit in us but none of us are perfect at like he is.

 

[james1523]

Compassion is derived from a word meaning to "suffer with". Compassion for a Christian is higher than compassion for a non-Christian. All people can show compassion, regardless of their religious beliefs. However human compassion from the natural man is not real compassion. Most of what the world and Christianity tells us is "compassion", is actually just mere human affection. Jesus Christ as the example of perfect humanity and being "the truth" Himself, showed us what true compassion is, and it was shown in particular for the most rejected "lepers", and His enemies. For the Christian, genuine compassion is the fruit of the indwelling Christ's humanity. If we are not a very compassionate person, or only show our natural affection, it is because we have not allowed the indwelling Christ to enter our soul, which involves complete consecration and renewal of the mind through God's Word. Anyone can show compassion to their own flesh and blood, but it takes the compassion of Christ, to show compassion to enemies, for example, when those enemies are nailing us to the cross. Genuine compassion includes the ability to "suffer with" and feel all the torments and pain of an enemy. The experience of such a compassion enables us to say "forgive them Father, they do not know what they are doing".