Shoulder To Shoulder #1282 -- 3/14/22 ---- "Facing The Future With Fortitude (part Eight -- Minister with Compassion, Not Callousness)"
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER is a weekly letter of encouragement Bob has written since 1997, covering many topics selected to
motivate people to be strong students of the Word and courageous witnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a personal letter of
encouragement to you, written solely to help "lift up hands that hang down".
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." -- Albert Einstein
“There is a common, worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have -- a cheap Christianity which offends nobody,
and requires no sacrifice, which costs nothing, -- and is worth nothing.” – J. C. Ryle
Shoulder To Shoulder #1282 -- 3/14/22
Title: "Facing The Future With Fortitude (part Eight -- Minister with Compassion, Not Callousness)"
My dear friend and Pilgrim Partner:
Goodness, what a day in which we live! Once again my week has been so packed with emergency Ukraine issues and pastoral duties that I'm behind again in writing to you. At times it seems like the world is coming apart at the seams, evil is rising up to overwhelm us, and burdens seem too heavy to bear. What a great time to see the mighty hand of God sculpting things to His purposes, and to sense the inexhaustible resources of our King made available to us by the inner presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
It's my prayer that you are finding the faithfulness of God imprinted all across the panorama of your life story today.
I don't know about you, but in past months I have found myself struggling to hold my tongue over many things going on both in our own country and around the world. Inflation and the tragedy in Ukraine have made it doubly difficult, to say the least.
Jo Ann and I are heartbroken over what is happening to a country we love second only to our own. We still have numerous friends in Ukraine with whom we are in contact, and numerous others scattered throughout Europe. While a couple of friends returned to Russia due to elderly parents and/or relatives, most who left, have ended up in Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. I am spending four to six hours a day simply in direct communication with them, and channeling funds to help them in the refugee needs.
BTW, we are directing several thousand dollars that have been given to Life Unlimited Ministries straight to individuals and ministries who have "boots on the ground". We can do it in a matter of minutes, thanks to several resources with direct links to Ukraine financial institutions. When we tried to send some funds through our bank, we were sad to learn that their entire network of banks had suspended all financial transactions to Ukraine.
But, praise the Lord, we found other ways. We are holding nothing out of the funds coming to us, and 100% of it goes to its designated place. We're even covering any transaction fees ourselves. So, while there are many wonderful and amazing ministries such as Samaritan's Purse, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, and many other major organizations, God has enabled us to do it faster and cheaper -- and with a more personalized gift.
When we founded Life Unlimited Ministries as a 501.c.3 non-profit religious organization in 1980, we never envisioned this type of ministry being part of our portfolio, but here we are. We visited by phone with some dear friends last evening and I mentioned that we feel like a shipping dock where trucks come in with products, we unload them and then load them back onto other trucks for other destinations.
That's actually what true stewardship looks like. It's not about just tithing; it's about being the "house distributor" of 100% of someone else's possessions. In this case that "someone else" happens to be God. He directs certain truckers to our shipping dock, and we responsibly send it on by His direction.
If you happen to feel you'd like to be part of that process through Life Unlimited Ministries, we welcome your gift. After you read my letter, you will better understand why we are doing this. Just make any checks out to Life Unlimited Ministries, put "Ukraine" on the Memo line in the lower left corner, and mail it to . . .
Life Unlimited Ministries
P.O. Box 25118
Yuma, AZ, 85367
If you want to do a wire transfer or something by PayPal or MoneyGram, email me at [email protected] for specifics on how to get that done.
This, of course, is not an outright appeal, but simply my way of letting you know about our fast channel to specific individual needs. So far we've already sent on over $1,000, and will be sending another $3,500+ later this week. We hope to continue this for an extended time, because refugee needs are going to exist for a very long time.
We never cease to be amazed at how, as a result of the Ukrainian tragedy, God is reconnecting us with people we've not seen or heard from for many years. Just a few minutes, for example, I got a Facebook friends request from someone I hadn't seen since she was a child; she's the daughter of missionary friends we knew years ago when we lived in Wisconsin. Someone had sent her the link to one of my posts, and she requested to be on my friends list.
Well, now -- back to the matter at hand. Today I will conclude this series, "Fortitude For the Future" by sharing some thoughts about the fifth of the five things I believe we must do in light of the eminent events we will face in the future as we draw closer to our Lord's return. After examining some of the things Jesus told His disciples we would face in the future, and after we considered the current and coming "Shakings" the writer of Hebrews indicated in Hebrews 12, we have discussed the first four:
1) Live With Conviction, not Convenience (#1274)
2) See With Clarity, Not Confusion (#1276)
3) Act With Courage, Not Cowardice (#1277 & #1278)
4) Live With Consistency, Not Compromise (#1279 & #1281)
So today we'll conclude by addressing the fifth -- right after you consider . . .
THIS 'N' THAT:
QUOTES FOR TODAY:
> "Compassion will cure more sins than condemnation." -- Henry Ward Beecher (19th Century theologian, brother to Harriet Beecher Stowe)
> "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these." -- George Washington Carver
> "Claiming to be a Christian, yet living without compassion is like claiming to breathe when there is no air." -- T. Allen Robburts
> "Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too." -- Frederich Buechner (20th Century American poet, novelist, theologian)
> "Man may dismiss compassion from his heart, but God never will." -- William Cowper (18th Century British poet and hymn writer)
> "Remember that even Jesus' most scathing denunciation - a blistering diatribe against the religious leaders of Jerusalem in Matthew 23 - ends with Christ weeping over Jerusalem. Compassion colored everything He did." -- John MacArthur
> "Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world." -- Francis Schaeffer
> "The truth is that there are such things as Christian tears, and too few of us ever weep them." -- John R. W. Stott
> "If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large." -- William Wilberforce
> "God keeps all our tears in a bottle; so precious is the water that is distilled from penitent eyes; and because he will be sure not to fail, he notes how many drops there be in his register. It was a precious ointment wherewith the woman in the Pharisee's house (it is thought Mary Magdalene) anointed the feet of Christ; but her tears, wherewith she washed them, were more worth than her spikenard." -- Abraham Wright (17th Century British Puritan theological writer and deacon)
> "People may excite in themselves a glow of compassion, not by toasting their feet at the fire, and saying: "Lord, teach me compassion," but by going and seeking an object that requires compassion." -- Henry Ward Beecher
> "O if once our hearts were but filled with zeal for God, and compassion to our people's souls, we would up and be doing, though we could but lay a brick a day, and God would be with us." -- William Gurnall (17th Century English author -- Christian in Complete Armor -- and Anglican clergyman)
> "So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; ..." -- Apostle Paul (Col 3:12)
Col 3:1-17;
MINISTER WITH COMPASSION, NOT CALLOUSNESS:
Little did I know that Jo Ann and I would have our hearts so suddenly broken, deeply saddened and viciously torn by the events in Ukraine when I preached three weeks ago on this final study in the series I've been doing at Chapel de Oro. Reports from many of the hundreds of friends who made up our lives there, along with news reports on TV, have left us saddened, ripped, and torn with unfamiliar emotion.
Even yesterday and today we have had emails, text messages, and phone calls that would leave us lying on the floor in a pool of tears were it not for our cries to God and our absolute confidence that He will have the final word in all of this. We are certain that He will provide healing and restoration to those whose lives have been shattered by this hideous invasion by a tyrant. He specializes in healing the brokenhearted. He will not alter His character in this case.
Through these past few weeks, we've discovered that we have been learning a new level of compassion far deeper than, with few exceptions, anything in the past. And, if there ever was a time when living compassionately was needed it is now. If there ever was a time when compassion is most absent, it is now. If there ever was a time when compassion was ignored, it is now. If there ever was a time when compassion was lacking in the lives of Christians, it is now.
Just today it was evidenced on my Facebook page after I posted some pictures of the carnage that the northern suburb of Obolon has become. I shared the pictures because at least two dear friends and their families lived there -- Vitaliy B. and Charles B. Both families have fled to other countries, neither knowing whether or not their apartments even still exist.
A Facebook response by a professing Christian apparently missed the point altogether and, instead of expressing compassion and sympathy for the tens of thousands of people suffering because of the attack by a tyrant, rose to the occasion by pointing a finger at the U.S. for selling weapons to "third world countries". I'm always amazed when people who are not from the United States, have not studied our history, and know nothing of our democratic process or politics proceeds to instruct me about my country, what we shouldn't do, what we should do, why we fail so miserably, how terrible and lacking our republican form of government is, and go on to claim they know all about our "secret hidden motives as well as the "right way" to do things.
The remarks perfectly illustrate the subject of today's letter. In far too many cases, compassion and acts of compassion are glaringly absent in the lives of those who should be showing it the most – Christians. Tragically, far too many Christians are more interesting in judging, pointing out the reason someone suffers (usually because of a lack of faith or the presence of sin in their lives), "prophesying" that they know what that suffering is all about, -- or go to the other extreme and display a spiritually dull and calloused disregard for those suffering.
It seems there remains a ditch on both sides of the road. So perhaps the first thing we need to do is deal with the . . .
PERPLEXITY OVER COMPASSION'S DEFINITION:
Perhaps one reason compassion is lacking is because of a misunderstanding as to what it actually is. As I studied scripture relating to compassion, it became clear to me that many Christians -- too many, in fact -- misunderstand what real compassion actually is. For example, compassion is not the same as sympathy. It is not the same as pity. It is not even the same as empathy.
Just because you feel sorry for someone doesn't mean you are compassionate. Just because you pat a person on the back and say, "cheer up, friend!" doesn't mean you are compassionate. Just because you cry over someone's plight doesn't mean you have compassion for them. There are dozens of words that are similar to compassion, but are not the same. Similarity and sameness are not equally defined.
As I prepared this study, and perhaps fueled by the recent events my friends in Ukraine have suffered, I've experienced a level of compassion that I apparently never knew I had. I find myself often "tearing up" at the thought of a friend or the sight of a picture. But, that alone does not define what Jo Ann and I have been going through. I'll explain that momentarily.
First, let's get a clear definition of Compassion. Various dictionaries defined Compassion as being a "Deep awareness of the suffering of another accompanied by the wish to relieve it.” or “a suffering with another; hence, a feeling of sorrow or pity excited by the sufferings or misfortunes of another”. The Merriman-Webster Dictionary defined it as, “sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it”
“Pity” is different from Compassion because it implies one's thought or feeling, but reveals no initiative or action.
"Sympathy" is different from Compassion because wanting to "come alongside" someone and putting your arms around them takes no meaningful action to alleviate the suffering. You're just feeling sorry for them -- but you're not really Compassionate. Not really . . .
“Empathy” is different because it simply implies one can “know how you feel” vicariously – identify with it, even perhaps from experience – but still no action.
Even "Commiseration” is different because it implies feeling sorry over one’s plight – but still no action.
You see, “Feeling” is even different because it implies a subjective emotional response to one’s plight – but still no action.
“Compassion", on the other hand, is “all of the above” -- BUT -- BUT -- with appropriate action being taken to alleviate the pain, suffering, or circumstances.
And THAT is the point! Action! Doing something about it! You can't claim to have compassion on your neighbor because of the death of the spouse without some sort of appropriate act on your part. Even if it to sit with them during the wake, there needs to be action on your part -- if you're truly compassionate. You may be sad, you may cry, -- and all of that is wonderful . . . I'm not discounting its importance -- but you must outwardly express the agony of your heart.
You can't have compassion on the orphan or the homeless unless you try to find someone to adopt the orphan or find a place for the homeless man to live. If you don't try to find a good adoption agency, or share the story of that orphan with friends who are looking to adopt . . . . do you see the difference?
Do you get it, yet, my friend? The thing that makes true Compassion stand out above all these other words we identify as synonyms is one simple thing -- ACTION! Compassion is sympathy that acts to alleviate. Compassion is Empathy that takes you far beyond just "identifying" with the situation to where you try to mollify or resolve the situation.
You find the real picture of Compassion in the one place you would expect -- in the Bible. The word, “Compassion”, appears 98 times and was a significant concept in Jesus’ teachings and miracles. I decided to examine the context of some of those times. The experience was stunning -- taking me aback by something I should have known all along. True, I had actually practiced Compassion often in the past, but had never truly caught its uniqueness over other emotions and responses.
Several words are used in Hebrew in the OT, which generally mean, “to see, come alongside, and then act with pity, born out of deep love, as from the innermost being (or womb)”. How interesting that the Hebrew word for compassion is so directly affiliated with "the womb", the very place where life itself is first created and then released into the world. Profound!
The same is true in Greek in the NT, and they generally mean, “to have the innermost being (bowels) express deep emotions of yearning love and sympathy that takes action.” Perhaps Paul's description with certain levels of prayer, . . . "with groanings that are too deep for words" (Rom 8:26). . . have some implications for compassionate praying. He described such praying as being so intense that the prayer can't even be verbalized. If that be the case, perhaps some of our praying hasn't been compassionate at all.
Keep in mind that in both the Old Testament and New Testament days, the “bowels” were believed to be the seat and origin of love. I can better understand that now, because the feelings Jo Ann and I have experienced recently for Ukraine and our many friends there seem to be deeper than being just some "heart-felt" emotion. To think they came merely from the "heart" almost made them seem superficial to us. That perception could not encompass the inner turmoil and groanings we have had for people we've not see in more than ten years -- and yet, they are closer to us than our next door neighbors. It has truly been a "gut-wrenching", volatile, emotional roller-coaster experience that has driven us to decisive action.
So, in that we are commanded to be compassionate people and to act with compassion, how do we develop this lifestyle of compassion? -- not just an isolated act, but a way of life? We need some way to measure how we respond to suffering, hardship, heartache, and tragedy. Maybe we can find the "yardstick" by looking at some . . .
PICTURES OF COMPASSION: (ponder one of these per day)
There are numerous occasions where compassion was either demonstrated or described by Jesus. If we know anything about Him, we surely know He was compassionate during His earthly life -- and obviously remains so today. The only reason you and I can be compassionate today is because He still is today. So, of all the examples throughout the Bible that describe compassion, consider these ten, and the one thing in common among them all. In days ahead, take time to look into the background of these examples, and do some pondering. You might even take one story a day and think about it. Take time to read the entire surrounding scriptures. Take a month to repeatedly study each one of them every ten days. There are "Acres of Diamonds", to coin a book title by Russell Conwell, and you will never mine them all.
1. Matt 9:35-38 – "Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest'."
There is much truth to be gleaned from this short passage, but let me limit my thoughts to this. Traveling from village to village, the very nature and heart of Jesus emanated compassion. It was manifested in how He explained scripture to the people and told them about the great news of His kingdom. It was illustrated when He healed them. It grew as He spent time with the people. It expanded as He challenged His followers to do the same, as exampled in Luke 9 and 10. Compassion is thought, it is taught, and it is expressed.
2. Mk 1:40-45 – "And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.' Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed."
Imagine the shock among the people, and the horror they must have manifested, when this outcast approached Jesus and acknowledged that the only thing that stood between him and healing was the willingness of Jesus to do something about it. Jesus was willing. The people weren't -- they seldom are. But, He was -- He did -- and the man was healed. It takes a willing heart to become a compassionate person. That is a rarity, and few people become so compassionate.
3. Lk 7:11-17 – "Soon afterwards He went to a city called Nain; and His disciples were going along with Him, accompanied by a large crowd. Now as He approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He felt compassion for her, and said to her, 'Do not weep.' And He came up and touched the coffin; and the bearers came to a halt. And He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise!'"
This story is preceded by another miracle, the healing of the Centurion's son. It was also an example of Jesus' compassion, even though we are not told whether or not He had compassion. However, the word, "marveled" means that Jesus was amazed at the Centurion's faith. After all, he was a Roman soldier and commander over 100 other soldiers. Certainly this would have caused Jesus to feel compassion toward a man who risked his reputation -- and even his command -- to come to Jesus. Then Jesus moved on to raise a poor widow’s son from the dead. In both of these stories there is a clue as to what releases compassion -- faith. Not just intellectual, "I believe You can", but rather a volitional faith that says, "I believe You want to, and I believe you will!"
4. Lk 10:25-37 – "'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him'."
It didn't take long in His public ministry for Jesus to come to cross-hairs with the bigoted religious leaders of His day. He often spoke in parables when He talked with them -- or about them. The parable of the good Samaritan is an example. He not only didn't pull any punches in this hypothetical situation, but he used one of the most despised people among Jewish religious leaders to make His point. His point was pretty clear -- religious arrogance and isolationism cannot possibly embrace compassion. They are as entirely incompatible with each other as water is to oil. Just because you're religious -- just because you go about your duties -- just because you act and look like a religious and righteous person -- is meaningless. Compassion is what shows the true colors of your heart.
5. Matt 14:12-21 – "Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick."
Jesus had just experienced the sad news that His cousin who had baptized Him, John the Baptist, had been savagely beheaded. He did the logical thing -- He went to spend time alone and out of the limelight to grieve. However, people soon learned where He was, and were waiting for Him when he came ashore. And, He did what only He could do -- feel compassion for them. Perhaps one reason for His compassion is that He knew something they didn't know -- there was an answer . . . an eternal answer. As a result, He performed one of His greatest miracles, the feeding of the 5,000 men, PLUS all the women and children who were there as well.
6. Matt 15:32-39 – "And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, 'I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way'."
Some people think this is a different version of the earlier event, but there is no evidence that a detail person like Matthew would make such a mistake. Feeding the 4,000 was the final display of His compassionate nature, following three days of teaching and healing people.
7. Matt 18:22-35 – "'And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt'."
Jesus was a master story teller and one of His specialties was to tell hypothetical stories called parables. In this parable of the forgiving slave master, we see this man -- it doesn't say whether was the land owner or one of his supervisors -- exercised the authority he had to show compassion on the slave by forgiving him of his indebtedness. Sadly, the slave didn't inherit that same compassion, and it cost him in the long run.
8. Matt 20:29-34 – "Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him."
One of my favorite stories, Jesus ignored the condemning and judgmental admonition of the people following Him -- apparently they didn't have the same compassion for the suffering that Jesus did -- (perhaps like ignoring the panhandler on the corner or the homeless asleep in an abandoned doorway) -- and healed two blind men who knew exactly Who He was. They had a need -- they knew He could meet it. He saw their need -- He knew they needed it to be met. So He did.
9. Lk 15:11-32 – ". . . 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. And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate."
Absolutely this is one of my favorite parables. In fact, I have a couple of in-depth teachings I do on the story. Can you imagine how that father's heart must have been overwhelmed with compassion for his young long-lost son! Perhaps thinking about a family in Ukraine -- a family who had feared their son had been killed in the war -- who suddenly saw that son stumbling down the crater-filled road, draped in a tattered uniform and walking determinedly toward them with the aid of a crutch. It would be there that sorrow and despair were instantly eradicated as love and compassion exploded into joyous reunion. And everybody got it -- except for the older brother, the real prodigal in the story. (More about that at a later time.)
10. Phil 1:18-2:11 – "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, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."
This is where "the rubber hits the road" -- and many Christians are unwilling to do that. This selfish attitude notwithstanding, compassion the heart of the Christ-life about which Paul was writing in this rather lengthy instruction. He predicated it with four "If's" -- If you yourself have . . .
1) . . . found encouragement in having Christ, . . .
2) . . . experienced His consoling love, . . .
3) . . . sensed the Holy Spirit's caring ministry, . . .
4) . . . have any sense of compassion in your heart, . . .
. . . then show it. The Christian life -- the Christ-life -- was never intended to be a self-contained, self-blessing life. It must always have expression, and Paul lays out the way in which that life can be outwardly expressed by compassionate believers.
PROPOSING A HEART OF COMPASSION: (Col 3:1-9)
The great Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote, "Biblical orthodoxy without compassion is surely the ugliest thing in the world."
Ouch, ouch, ouch!!! Do I hear him actually say that what we believe about the Bible and the Christian life is abhorrent unless it is accompanied by compassionate action? I think so -- absolutely so.
That being the case, it will be wise for us to figure out how to discover, create, and nurture a compassionate heart, and not just HAVE a sympathetic one. Paul gave us some guidelines in our text for this study. Following his usual pattern of sharing principles in the first part of his letters and practical steps in the latter part, he did the same in his letter to the Colossian believers. He begins the practical applications by exhorting, . . .
"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."
There are four very important necessities if you are to develop an ongoing compassionate heart. The world out there will not provide any of them:
1. Make your life's goal an eternal one -- "Keep seeking the things above” (3:1). Everything of this world is purely temporal -- and temporary! (I Jn 2:15-17) It all goes away, one way or another.
2. Make your life's focus be spiritual -- "Set your mind on the things above” (3:2). Why fill your mind with carnal, worldly, and materialistic things? That merely dilutes the quality of your spiritual life. Concentrate on spiritual matters that have substance and don't evaporate like a misty cloud, leaving you feeling empty and incomplete.
3. Become mature in your understanding of the real Christian life -- from immanent death into eternal life. ". . . you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (3:3). Gal 2:20 is the secret. You've been crucified with Christ, but also raised to "newness of life" (Rom 6:4), now living by your confidence in Christ and His sufficiency. So, it's all about Him, and not about you that you have been born anew. It is an event that is far beyond our human minds to fully understand.
4. Constantly anticipate what lies ahead for you and what you will become -- (3:4)
"When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." The future is gonna be fantastic! As the songwriter says, "It will be worth it all when we see Jesus. Life's trials will seem so small when we see Him. One glimpse of His dear face, all sorrows will erase. So, bravely run the race 'til we see Him!"5. Apply the principles of “Crucified Life” to every carnal appetite. "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry." (3:5). If you are to be compassionate, you will have to constantly resist and reject every aspect of the carnal unregenerate mind set. It is virtually impossible for any Christian to be compassionate if you think or act immorally, have evil agendas or are greedy. A greedy person is incapable of compassion.
6. Never forget that God pours out His wrath on everything that is evil. "For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, . . ." (3:6). Among other things, this seems to tell us that God will take care of the evil, the dishonesty, the deception, that might come your way if or when someone tries to capitalize from your compassion. Leave that up to Him. Don't become deterred by how you think people might abuse your acts of compassion.
7. Remember your own unregenerate past and what it was like. ". . . and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them." (3:7). If you never forget what your life was like before you became a Christian, and remember how the love and compassion of Christ changed you so dramatically, you'll doubtless become more compassionate to others who are suffering or who have not yet made that same discovery.
8. Reject all works and attitudes of the flesh that may tempt you, for they are worthless to a compassionate person. " But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
Col 3:9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
PROVIDING BASIC ACTS OF COMPASSION: (Col 3:10-17)
You may be wondering why I chose this chapter to address our fifth principle for "Facing the Future With Fortitude". There is so much in it that doesn't talk specifically about compassion. Well, that's true, but as I studied the chapter, it seemed to me that the heart of the matter was that if we are to understand all that Paul instructs and do all that he tells us we should do, we must be driven by a spirit of compassion for others. Otherwise, if we don't care deeply about others in our lives, then most of the rest in the chapter means little -- perhaps even nothing.
So, in trying to live out a genuinely compassionate life, it seems that Paul gives some exceptionally practical actions by which we should order our lives. He wrote, . . .
". . . and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him -- a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
"So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father."
So, . . . if I could summarize these elements, it seems to me that Paul is urging us to live compassionate lives that are characterized by certain qualities and actions that give feet and hands to our compassion. For example, . . .
1. Receive and then release Christ’s life in you. We are told to ". . . put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him." (3:10). Paul told the believers in Rome, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Rom 13:14). He spoke similarly to the Ephesian believers, stating, ". . . and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Eph 4:4).
2. Allow the Holy Spirit to soften your heart so you are alert to people in need from all walks of life. ". . . a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all." (3:11). Bigotry and sectarianism based on ethnicity, culture, or status has absolutely no place in the life of the believer -- EVER.
3. Lay aside all forms of “cancel culture”. We also see this in this verse noted above. (3:11). It includes people who don't agree with you, don't like you, or consider themselves to be your enemy. Jesus said we are to love such people (Matt 5:44; Lk 6:27; Lk 6:35).
4. Submit to the life God has chosen for you. If you are trusting Him, that means embracing every way in which God has intended for you, has created you, and is shaping you -- no exceptions. "So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; . . ." (3:12). Since God chose us, made us holy (set aside for a reason), and loves us passionately, we are to be people living with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. A tall order, but a necessary -- and expected -- lifestyle. And that lifestyle lives itself out in certain areas of conduct: . . .
5. Adorn yourself with Christlike living, including the following (3:12-17).
1) Be Compassionate, not condemning.
2) Be Kind, not judgmental.
3) Be Humble not proud and arrogant.
4) Be Gentle, not harsh.
5) Be Patient, not quick to answer or solve.
6) Bear each other’s burdens.
7) Forgive just as the Lord forgave you
8) Offer Unconditional love.
9) Let peace of Christ rule over you.
10) Be thankful.
11) Feast on the word of Christ.
12) Seek and receive wisdom.
13) Teaching others what God is teaching you.
14) Urgently encourage one another.
15) Be positive and joyful.
16) Be thankfulness to God
17) Do it all in the name of the Lord, and not yours.
18) Thank God in and for the situation.
FINALLY: -- PRACTICAL DISCIPLINES FOR DEVELOPING COMPASSION:
Even as I have been writing today's letter, I am again reminded that this fifth principle -- "Living with Compassion, Not Callousness" may be the crowning principle of the five. Compassion is so urgently needed. Right now as we share together, there are people around the world who are being compassionate -- incredibly compassionate -- to millions of people in and from Ukraine.
Many are praying, and probably even more are giving in some way. Just within the past week, our ministry (Life Unlimited Ministries) has been entrusted with some $5,000+ to send to targeted individuals, areas, and ministries who will receive and spend those funds in ways that will meet the needs of thousands of people.
Whether it is $100 so that "V" and her husband hiding in the cellar of their dacha can sneak out to buy food and water; -- or Arise Ukraine founded by our friend, Paul Logan, receiving $1,000 for supplies they have taken into the very edge of Kyiv; -- or Joel and Ira whose ministry has partnered with Convoy of Hope and will use the $1,000 we gave to distribute aid through thousands of churches partnering together throughout the entirety of Ukraine; -- or "M" and his ministry as they buy supplies with the $1,000 we sent them to meet the needs of people they personally know in and around L'viv; -- it is all coming from people we know whose compassion was released to pray and to give for those who are suffering -- even dying -- simply for living in Ukraine.
Jo Ann and I have always considered ourselves to be very compassionate, caring, and giving people. But this experience with Ukraine has moved us to a far deeper level -- and a far greater understanding of what compassion is all about. Every day I find myself passionately wanting to go back to Ukraine to help. Yet, I know that someone who is turning 84 years old this week, I would be a far greater liability than an asset. And my child bride wouldn't be too much better help.
But, we can do what we are doing -- praying multiple times a day, communicating with as many friends as we can find, encouraging people to give designated funds to our ministry, and wisely trying to pass them on quickly so they can meet the needs rapidly. And, s long as funds come in -- for this is going to be a long, drawn-out, need -- we will pass them on.
Still, a far greater need than even Ukraine, is the need millions have to discover the forgiving, rescuing, liberating, power of the blood of Christ to offer eternal life to those who will receive it.
"The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." (II Pet 39).
". . . but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13).
". . . if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
Rom 10:10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom 10:9-10).
". . . for whoever will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:13)
Knowing then, that a life of compassion is needed in order for people to hear and come to Christ, in order to feed the hungry, in order to clothe the naked, in order to bind up the brokenhearted, or in order to rebuild a life, is it possible for you and me to hone our spiritual senses so we actually recognize the people around us who need to be loved, cherished, and cared for in ways like Christ Himself would do?
Yes it is. To help you in this, consider the following ideas you might implement:
1. Start being more attentive to and alert for things & people in your life who are needing to receive your compassion.
2. Thank God for Him revealing that opportunity to you. Don't think of it is merely coincidental, and certainly don’t ignore or shirk it.
3. Pay closer attention to others around you and their needs. Often the needs are carefully masked by pretense or denial by those needing it the most.
4. Try to see things that are happening through their eyes, and not yours. Ukraine is an example. If you insist on distancing yourself from the horrors of war and thinking of them as, "those people over there" or "there must be a reason for it", you'll never rise to a level of compassion that causes you to do something about it. You'll remain a mere spectator -- like someone who bought a ticket to a war movie and are sitting in that comfy chair eating popcorn and drinking your favorite soft drink or juice.
5. Learn to listen without judging. And don't try to give them answers they're not asking for. There are times when people just need to know someone cares. They don't need your advice or explanation; they just need your love and compassion. Offer them caring compassion instead of answers.
6. Spend time with them. Often when someone is suffering, or is frightened or confused, they just need your presence. Sometimes just being there is actually doing something. And, don't stop going after the immediate shock is over. I can't tell you how many people have told us in past years how much they needed people's presence a month after their spouse's death than they did the day after it happened. It was during those extended days that loneliness set it. They needed somebody then -- to know they were not forgotten, and to know that another person truly did understand, and cared.
7. Pray specifically for them. Nothing is more in showing compassion than to do it as an intercessor. It's not just praying for someone because you know you should; it's actually standing before God in that person's behalf and crying out to Him for His provision. The literal meaning of an intercessor is to be someone who will "take the place of" another person. That's intercessory prayer. You intercede for them by praying as if you are that other person, pleading with God.
8. Meet their needs in practical ways. Whether it's baking a cake and taking it to them, taking them to the hospital, babysitting while they run errands, or paying off their mortgage, find some practical ways to help lighten their load. That's what it means to be a burden bearer. It's more than just saying, "I know how you feel", because you probably don't. Rather, it's to come alongside and in some practical way actually lighten the load.
9. Share your story of God’s faithfulness. Often it will be our own experiences that give rise to hope and confidence in God. However, one word of warning: -- don't share your story in a way that places a sense of guilt of failure on them. Your story should always build hope, not condemnation or despair.
So, there we have it -- five principles of Facing the Future With Fortitude:
1) Live With Conviction, not Convenience (#1274)
2) See With Clarity, Not Confusion (#1276)
3) Act With Courage, Not Cowardice (#1277 & #1278)
4) Live With Consistency, Not Compromise (#1279 & #1281)
5) Minister with Compassion, Not Callousness (#1282)
It's my prayer that this series has been a help to you as we face a future that is both uncertain and certain. The songwriter is right -- we don't know what the future holds, but we certainly know Who holds it -- securely, safely, and purposefully -- in the grip of His mighty hand.
So, go out with joy and boldness. God wins! -- always!
Bob Tolliver -- Romans 1:11
"Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness,
examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." -- Dr. Luke (Acts 17:11)
"A fire kept burning on the hearthstone of my heart, and I took up the burden of the day with fresh courage and hope." -- Charles F. McKoy
Life Unlimited Ministries
LUMglobal
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Copyright March, 2022
"If Jesus had preached the same message that many ministers preach today, He would never have been crucified." -- Leonard Ravenhill
"The time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the Church will have clowns entertaining the goats." -- Charles H. Spurgeon
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