"You shall love your neighbor as yourself"
(Matthew 22: 39)
One of the Churches' greatest weaknesses is in the area of
showing love and compassion toward others. The very first fruit of the Spirit
is "love" (See Gal. 5: 22). Not to detract from the importance of the
other fruits of the Spirit, but this first fruit, "love," ought to be
the primary fruit to be cultivated in our lives. Though we cannot master love,
however love can master us through the resurrection power of Christ.
I like what D. L. Moody (1837-1899) said about the Churches'
responsibility to love our neighbor:
"The churches would soon be filled
if outsiders could find that people in them loved them when they came in.
This...draws sinners! We must win them to us first, then we can win them to
Christ. We must get the people to love us, and then turn them over to
Christ."[1]
I don't know about you, but I find Moody's words thought
provoking, convicting, challenging as well as inspirational. This is how
Christians are to behave towards those both outside and inside the church.
This topic on showing love and compassion towards others is
one of the most dearest to my heart. This is one of the deep convictions in my
life. As you read on, I hope it will become yours as well. Now let us consider
three points on being more compassionate and loving.
1. Compassionate
Christians Listen.
If there is one thing I have come to learn through the years
in my walk with Christ, is what it means to be a compassionate listener. It is
hard, I know. However, through the Lord Jesus Christ we can do all things (see
Phil. 4: 13). It is when we learn to
listen to others that others will begin to listen to us. If we pretend to
listen to another person's problems, believe me they will most certainly let
you know.
Let's face it, we would rather have others listen to us rather
than us listening to them. Sometimes we even get irritated and impatient when
listening to another person in conversation. We often can't wait to be heard!
We are selfish in that we want to be the center of attention. We want to be
heard by others, but not to hear what others have to say. we need to heed the
words of James: "So then, my beloved
brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath" (James
1: 19). we especially don't like to listen when being rebuked for a wrong.
Oh may the Lord of listeners help us become better
compassionate listeners toward our neighbors. Who knows what wealth we could
learn by listening to other people?
Who knows what person's heart could begin to heal, because someone cared enough
to take the time to listen.
2. Compassionate
Christians Learn.
Compassionate Christians should never be afraid to learn
from their mistakes. There is always a lesson or two to be learned from a mistake.
For example, I will never forget a moving story I read in an old Our Daily Bread devotional booklet. The
story is entitled, "Held By Love."
"Sociology professor Anthony
Campolo recalls a deeply moving incident that happened in a Christian junior high
camp where he served. One of the campers, a boy with spastic paralysis, was the
object of heartless ridicule. When he would ask a question, the boys
would deliberately answer in a halting, mimicking way. One night his cabin
group chose him to lead the devotions before the entire camp. It was one more effort
to have some "fun" at his expense. Unashamedly the spastic boy stood up,
and in his strained, slurred manner--each word coming with enormous effort--he
said simply, "Jesus loves me--and I love Jesus." That was all.
Conviction fell upon those
junior-highers. Many began to cry. Revival gripped the camp. Years
afterward, Campolo still meets men in the ministry who came to Christ because
of that testimony."
I am certain that the Junior High
boys, who were already Christians, must have really learned a valuable lesson
that day on showing a little love and compassion towards a boy who desparately
was in need of it. I am sure they were ashamed of themselves. May we also learn
from this example as well.
(NOTE: "A Call To Compassion" is written and edited from my original article dated Monday April 23, 2001).
[1] George
Sweeting, How to Continue the Christian Life, pg. 108.
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