Today's Scripture
"The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love." (Psalm 103:8 NLT)
Thoughts for Today
Along with being the God of all comfort, God is the Father of compassion. A dictionary definition for compassion is "a sympathetic consciousness of the distress of others along with a desire to alleviate it." In other words, not only does God have a sympathetic understanding of what we are going through, but He also wants to ease our burden and free us up from the load we carry.
Throughout the Bible, we read that God is compassionate. And throughout the Bible, we see his compassion demonstrated. The gospel writers painted a vivid picture of Jesus' compassion. Look at these examples:
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Matthew 9:36 NLT)
Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew 14:14 NLT)
Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” (Mark 1:41 NLT)
When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. (Luke 7:13 NLT)
Jesus didn't just feel compassion. Compassion moved him to action. He healed. He taught. He comforted. And Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Consider this …
Our Lord hasn't changed. He sees your distress and he is moved with compassion to comfort you. To help you.
Perhaps you have failed in your well-meaning efforts to help your loved one. Perhaps the stress has caused you to say and do things you regret. But God loves you. He is your loving Father. He sees you through eyes of compassion and love - and he longs to comfort you. Come to him. Seek forgiveness. Seek mercy. Seek grace. Through Christ, they are God's gifts to you.
Prayer
Lord, forgive me for the things I've done wrong. Forgive me for not trusting you with this problem. I know you are the only one who can help. Thank you for your compassion. Thank you for caring. Thank you for always being there. Teach me to lean on you. In Jesus' name . . .
These thoughts were drawn from …Close—But Not Too Close by Dr. Jimmy Ray Lee. A complement to the Concerned Persons small group study, this booklet is written primarily for those who want to help someone close to them who is enslaved by the stronghold of a life-controlling issue. It is also designed to help someone who is suffering the consequences of a loved one's problem.
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