The Grace of Light: Compassion for the World
@stickyJesus: how to live out your faith online, by Tami Heim and Toni Birdsong, is a book about how to infuse God’s heartbeat into social networks. This post is part of the @stickyJesus Blog Tour of Light. You can follow @stickyJesus on Twitter, Facebook, or learn more about the book at www.stickyJesus.com
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. – Ephesians 5:8
Do you remember what your life was like before you knew Christ? Do you remember the hours, days, and years you bumped around in the dark before He adopted you as a child of Light? Being Light to a broken planet requires you to daily re-connect to that unmerited moment when God came crashing in and redeemed your wreckage.
Compassion is a feeling of deep sympathy for another person so strong it compels you to alleviate the person’s suffering. Jesus put a human face on God’s compassion everywhere he went. It was compassion that healed the sick, raised the dead, and withheld wrath from those who betrayed Him.
For a criminal hanging on a Golgotha cross next to Jesus, compassion came just in time. As Jesus hung beaten, bloodied, and dying on the cross, two hardened criminals hung on crosses on each side of him. One mocked him while the other confessed his wreckage and called Jesus “Lord.”
‘. . . for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man [Jesus] has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’ – Luke 23:39-43
Surprisingly, this condemned man demonstrated greater faith than many of Jesus’ own followers. As a result, a life swarming with sin was the first to be redeemed by the blood Jesus spilled that very day.
His was a Rubik’s cube of reasoning.
How can we get our minds around that kind of compassion? Didn’t Jesus have his own pain to think about? He was bludgeoned repeatedly and slowly suffocating. He was crying out to God for mercy. And, what if the man had committed some horrific crime?
“It’s alright,” you can almost hear Jesus assure heaven as he chased his last few breaths, “the crook’s with me.”
In Luke 23:33-34 Jesus shows mind-boggling compassion when he forgives and prays for those hammering nails into His hands and feet. And, enduring the cross, Jesus showed His greatest act of compassion for all of mankind.
How can we conjure up God-sized compassion and be Light to the lost when we can’t even let go of a grudge against a relative or forgive our spouse for an ancient offense?
We can’t. That is, we can’t if we’re really serious about being children of Light. It’s a higher calling; one that won’t bow to religion or man’s take on redemption. Jesus extends compassion to the needy, love to the unlovable, and grace to repeat offenders.
If you are running low on compassion this Christmas, get to the root of your lack quickly (preferably before the crowd shows up). Do things differently this time.
Revisit the moment God poured fresh, cool, extravagant compassion into the potholes of your life. Where were you when Christ tore the veil of your wayward heart once and for all? Was it so long ago? Ask Him to take you back to the scene of the rescue. Ask Him to resuscitate your heart.
Think of a person you know who is in need of your compassion. What keeps you from being compassionate to them? Make a list if you must. Then surrender that list to the King of compassion. He won’t condemn you. You see, His compassion for you is inexhaustible. He’s proven that.
Post/Tweet this today:
Surrender your wreckage to Christ. His compassion for you is inexhaustible. His mercies are new every morning. #LiveSticky
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My question for you:
Jude vs. 22 says and of some have compassion, making a difference. Are you part of the few that will make a difference with the compassion that is illuminating your heart? Will you shine brightly for others while reflecting the light of HIS love? Will you have the courage to be this compassionate light?
Remember, it only takes a spark to get a fire going!
Join us tomorrow for The Force of Light: Your Presence Here at Jason Hayes’ blog .
© 2010, Spreading Joy. All rights reserved.
The holidays seems to be a time where opportunities for compassion abound. It can be overwhelming because everywhere you turn there is another cause that you can support. Each one presents a real need in need of help. Now is a good time to prayerful pay attention and take that first step to do something for someone. I want to keep my heart wide open and be ready to give what I have been given. None of us can take it all on – but there is something waiting for each of us.
Compassion is so hard . . . yet the fact that Jesus exuded it so perfectly gives me hope that if I am having a difficult time being compassionate, then His power within me can help me–if I allow Him to. Quite a convicting post this morning! Thank you!!!
Amy Sorrells recently posted..Falling for the glistening glory of snow
The area of forgiveness (and the compassion that flows from that) is a hard area for me. It’s like one of those re-generating snakes—you whack it off and it grows the severed body part right back. When I think I’ve got it down and . . . I relapse. At the root of that for me is that I have savational alzheimers—I forget the “exchange” that Christ represents. But—I’m getting better. Usually people that can’t show compassion easily haven’t been shown a lot in their lives so they are basically learning a new skill. Christ is the best example for that but surrounding yourself with strong Christians who model that is also a good plan. That’s why fellowship is so important. That’s why so many people dig your blog Marie! You are compassion in (digital) action.
“Surprisingly, this condemned man demonstrated greater faith than many of Jesus’ own followers. As a result, a life swarming with sin was the first to be redeemed by the blood Jesus spilled that very day.”
I don’t think I ever grasped that!
Sandra Heska King recently posted..Unexpected Beauty in the Light
@Tami I love the fact that so many step up during Christmas time and display compassion with such flair…now the trick is to get them to carry that desire with them through the entire year!
@Amy even though compassion is difficult for you, you more than likely excel at other things. Keep working at it, even ONE thing aday for someone. Makes a huge difference!
@Toni – Thank you for that…and keep moving towards it and breaking the cycle. Your heart is HUGE so you’ve got an awesome start!!
@Sandra – isn’t compassion a beautiful thing? Even from the condemned. gotta love that. always surprises when the Lord is involved!
Thank you guys for the JOY you brought me today!!
{{HUGS}} for you
@spreadingJOY