Greg Boyle helped launch Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, California. Geared specifically to help former gang members, it’s one of the biggest and most successful ministries in the United States. Boyle knows a lot about loving and caring for others. In his book Tattoos on the Heart, he writes: “Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself.”
Compassion bridges the distance between us and another person. We intentionally, lovingly move toward them instead of bolting in the opposite direction in disgust or indifference. In imitating Jesus’ compassion, we wouldn’t ever act like the priest (a church leader) or the Levite (a temple assistant) who put as much distance as possible between themselves and the wounded man who is described in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). The tale goes on to reveal that the least expected person—a Samaritan, who the Jews despised and the highly religious of the day avoided—acted the most like Christ. As Jesus told His listeners, “Now go and do the same” (Luke 10:37). The parable is a reminder that all of us, especially those of us who try to follow Him closely, are capable of acting without love toward our neighbor.
Instead, may we live out God’s compassion as revealed by Jesus in His encounter with the widow of Nain. When He saw the funeral procession and knew that her only son had died, “his heart overflowed with compassion.” He said, “Don’t cry!” (Luke 7:13). Then Jesus raised her son from the dead. He moved toward her and lovingly addressed her need. May we, like Christ, learn to move toward others with compassion that flows from the very heart of God.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 19:21-41
More:
Read Psalm 145:8-21 and consider the aspects of God’s compassion it highlights.
Next:
Do you lack compassion for a certain person or group of people? How can you develop a more compassionate heart that reflects God’s own?
Gary Shultz on November 6, 2015 at 7:05 am
I confess, I naturally do avoid certain situations and even certain people. It’s a good thing God has called us to a supernatural work, He must supply the gift, and He is the giver of the compassion and power. ….If I may, on the inside of that story, people would have walked back and forth on that road with little regard for regular events and people. I find myself there every day, we pass different people, and no one needs or wants us interrupt their travel. The big difference was this man was “wounded” he needed, wanted, and hoped for help. Few today would deny the visually wounded help. There lays a large difference, Christ can see the heart and soul, we cannot. However we know Christ and rely on that voice to move us toward the wounded. Maybe we do have some information about a person, but the wounded should be a priority in our lives. Moving toward the hurting and helpless with the gift of compassion Christ has shared with us. Thanks for bending the space for the larger reply.
jim spillane on November 6, 2015 at 12:25 pm
Gary, once again you’ve got me thinking and I thank you for that. God’s call to us involves “supernatural work” as well as physical, in the sense of our great commission. It is not only the physically wounded and hurting that we should have compassion for, but also those who are mentally and spiritually hurting, which may be much more difficult for us to see, if at all. As such, we are commanded to proclaim the “good news” to all, moved to do so by the Spirit of Christ, and then God will take over from there. We do the proclaiming, He does the healing.
Marlena Graves on November 9, 2015 at 10:33 am
Hi Gary!
I see exactly what you are saying. In addition, I believe there are certain wounded we wouldn’t want to be around – people we feel deserve what they got. I mean, there are some people that it’s harder for me to have compassion for because of their behavior. Would we help a member of ISIS who was wounded on the side of the world, our enemy? Only with the love of God.
Tom Felten on November 6, 2015 at 10:41 am
Marlena, I’m reminded of Psalm 103:8: “The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.” Only the Holy Spirit can work in our hearts to fill us with compassion that leads us to do what’s best for others—not what’s simply practical or a short-term fix.
e beck on November 6, 2015 at 3:24 pm
Why, oh why did I stop receiving Our Daily Bread after receiving it for so many years? I’ve done everything I know to do to restart it to no avail. I can’t re-register, it tells me I’m already registered but they’ve stopped coming. I sincerely hope someone at Our Daily Bread sees this and will help me. I certainly do miss it!!!!
jim spillane on November 7, 2015 at 12:18 pm
e beck – had a similar problem myself. You need to look at the top right portion of the web page. To the left of the search box you will see the word “About.” Either hold your mouse over that word or click on it, and it will open a menu. At the bottom of that menu are the words “Contact Us.” Click on those words and briefly explain your problem, and within a short time you will have a workable answer delivered to your preferred email address. Hope this helps.