Matthew
9:36 “Seeing the people,
He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited
like sheep without a shepherd.”
Pastor
Kyle continued his sermon series based upon the book of Genesis by stating that
tomorrow is not guaranteed for anyone, so godly embrace today and make the most
of your time in a holy manner. Deal with life in a positive manner, “play with
the cards that you are dealt”, and be a person of compassion. Remember that
when things are at their worst possible moment, God is still in control.
Matthew
11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who
are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you
and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light.”
Pastor
Kyle gave us five ways how to unlock the power of compassion in our life. (1) Start
with care. In Genesis 40:6 “When Joseph
came to them in the morning and observed them, behold, they were dejected.” Get
to know people and know how they are doing. Notice when they are hurting and be
able to stop whatever you are doing to meet their needs and pain. Care is never
a compromise. So, have a mindset of compassion for others, because Jesus modeled
and exemplified a life of compassion and care. (2) Understand it may require
risk. In dealing with interpersonal relationships, compassion may not be the
easy way, but is the “right” thing to do. Do not feel too busy to help others.
(3) Ask questions. Ask open-ended questions and discovery questions that allow others
to open up and completely explain their feelings. Listen and allow people to complete
their insights of the situation at hand for them. “Active listening” allows
others to verbalize the issues, to open to God, and sometimes, came up with
answers themselves. (4) Tell the truth. It is not compassion to sugarcoat
problem. We should never tell others things to make them feel better falsely. (5)
Know that compassion has a “dark side”. Know that you might feel forgotten in
the care process. Compassion is a sacrificial attribute. Remember that God
orders our steps, as well as our stops. Caring may not pay off for us beyond
the act of caring for others.
Psalm
103:8 “The Lord is compassionate
and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.”
Pastor
Kyle left us with the four instructions of the “Compassion Challenge”. (1) Show
some compassion to yourself. Have kindness towards yourself and give yourself encouragement.
(2) Show some compassion to someone you are not getting along with. Put aside
yourself; just be present and listen. (3) Show most compassion to someone you
love. Compassion is not only about healing hurts, but also about developing and
improving relationship. Be fully present. (4) Show some compassion to family. God
gave us our family members and they impacted our lives. They deserve our love
and care. Jesus Christ modeled how we are to live by the Spirit and the
strength of God. Use the power of compassion.
In
Christ, Brian
1 comment:
I like the message but in today's world compassion takes a back seat to one's selfishness. People rather ridicule one who is different from one's self. Its unfortunate that people don't take the time to listen and those speaking choose not to speak honestly. In short we don't speak or listen because we are afraid of being judged due to our circumstances. We must learn not to pass judgement in order to speak and listen to others.
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