And He Was Moved With Compassion

 A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her.

Luke 7:12 

 

Picture it.....Jesus, and those following Him, were on their way to a village called Nain.  Coming out of the village was a funeral procession.  In those days, it was hard enough being a widow with a son to take care of you, but to be a widow with no one to care for you meant your life would be immeasurably more difficult.  At the back of this procession was a widow who was having to bury her only son.  This meant this evening would be a meal for one...a conversation for one...an empty home...a hole in her heart...and more tears than could ever be counted. I can almost guarantee part of her was wondering if she would ever be able to survive such a loss.  

I wish I could say this was an isolated incident, but I have seen far too many people face such a loss of a loved one and give up.  They stop living and just exist.  They no longer have any joy.  They wonder how they will be able to continue without their loved one.  I have sat with too many who have looked me in the face and asked, "What will I do now?" I also understand that chances are whatever I say in that moment will never be heard, so I rely on Romans 12:15, where Paul tells us to "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."  

Having compassion for others will move us to reach out to them.  That's what happened when Jesus saw the procession, "When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion" (Luke 7:13).  Jesus' heart went out to this widow.  What did He do to help comfort her?  First, Jesus told her "Don't cry."  I'll bet she had heard those words before from well meaning people.  I'll wager in her heart she was screaming "How DARE you! You have NO IDEA what I am feeling!"  But Jesus didn't just say words to her, He went a step further and let His compassion move Him into action!  Jesus touched the coffin, told the boy to wake up, and then He gave the boy back to his mother!

Now I don't have the ability to raise the dead, but I do have the ability to let my compassion lead me to action!  How about you?

 

 

Choices Aren't Always Easy

"If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you will give up your life for Me, you will find true life."

Matthew 16:25 

 

We make a lot of choices every day, some are good choices and some not so much.  But since God is God and is loving and forgiving, why should we worry about the choices we make? After all, didn't Paul write in Romans 8:28 that God works everything for our good and His glory?  So why should we choose to do the right thing and give thoughtful consideration BEFORE we make our choice?  Because we like things quick and easy!

 

Let me give you a premise: God gives us abundant life to the degree that we surrender our own life.   Think about this, suppose you are offered a promotion with a huge increase in salary and prestige...the only catch is you will be required to work lots of extra hours.  You know that your home life is already tense because you seem to be always at work and this promotion could be the breaking point.

 

If you refuse the promotion, chances are another promotion will not be offered any time soon.  If you accept the promotion, you stand to lose your family. What would be your choice?

 

God never told us that our lives would be easy and free from conflict.  He never promised that we would always have easy choices to make.  God gave us a mind with which to think and work choices through before we decide, but do we use that gift?

It's All About Relationship

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Part of my job is to provide a bit of perspective and offer things to be pondered.  Today is no exception.

Consider this for a moment, whilst you await the coffee to take hold: We are, by nature, social beings.  We thrive on relationships.  We seek out relationships.  And, if we are smart, we build lasting relationships.

We have relationships with our families.  We have relationships with our friends.  We have relationships with our co-workers.  We have relationships with the people who help us in stores and shops and the mechanic and the postal delivery person and the person who delivers your packages and even your neighbors.  We NEED relationships.  And the better the relationship the stronger it will become.  

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is that I get to watch the interactions between Law Enforcement and the Communities.  Let me just say this, the deputies who have invested the time and effort to build a relationship of mutual respect and trust with the communities have seem to have fewer issues to deal with within their communities.  Why? Because the community members are willing to help the deputies keep their communities safe!

So to all newer deputies, invest the time and effort to cultivate and build relationships.

And on a little different front, I hear churches wonder why church membership is not growing as quickly as they would like.  I have a perspective on that as well: reach outside the walls and build relationships.  Don't start with "ARE YOU SAVED?".  Let's face it, you don't drop a seed in the ground and expect an apple tree to throw dirt clods so it can grow and apples to appear.  Each relationship must be planted, cultivated, nurtured and built.  And as a result, others will see the relationship and become interested.  People will want to know why your relationships are so strong and long lasting and close!  Why are you willing to do for others when there is no benefit to yourself?  Why are you accepting of people who have done life wrong for so many years?  Why are you different? (I'm not different, I prefer the term "odd" or "weird."  I'm not wealthy enough to be "eccentric.").

Think about it!  Motivate each other to relationships and you will begin to see a change for the better.

Do We Really Prove It?

Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. 

Have respectful fear of God. 

Honor those in authority over you.

1 Peter 2:17 

Respect...we all want it.  Some even DEMAND it.  But are we willing to show it?   Some would call it "courtesy" because what was once "common courtesy" is no longer common.  But when Jesus reminded us to treat each other in the same way as we want to be treated by others, He wasn't kidding!

But prove your respect for others by your actions, rather than mere words.  Words are easy and cheap and we tend to forget many of the promises we speak ("I'm praying for you", "I'll always be there for you", "I love you").  Words are only proven by our actions! 

The word Jesus uses that is translated "Treat" is an action word.  It requires intentional and direct action!  If you want to be respected and honored, RESPECT AND HONOR others!