Abundant Compassion

Compassion

The individual is capable of both great compassion and great indifference. He has it within his means to nourish the former and outgrow the latter.

Norman Cousins 1915-1990, American Editor, Humanitarian, Author

Col 3:12-15
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
NASU

Within every human heart there is a struggle that will take place until that day that God perfects us and removes from us the imperfection sin has placed on our hearts and lives. We are condemned by the law, for not one of us on this earth can fulfill the entirety of the Law, we are born in sin. So the struggle within each of us is to live before God in His wonderful grace, provided by the Precious Blood of Christ which makes up our lack and gives us right standing before our God. Our Father sees His Son, and not our sin.

What is amazing to us all though is the indifference that judgment and sin can cause in the heart of the believer. It is amazing that those that once entered the house of God in union and in peace, can with amazing speed turn around their attitudes and begin to destroy what may have taken years of struggling together as a family to build, but alas, that is the human condition.

We have all kinds of excuses of why we can get into our Judicial robes and begin to judge our brothers of sisters, and then make sure that our will is done instead of peace and the Will of God ruling the day. Christ calls for forbearance and we call for Bears, Christ calls for forgiving, we call for condemning. Christ is speaking through Paul in Colossians and saying this, “Beyond all these things,” what things is Paul speaking of? It is whatever it is that is stirring up and removing the unity that the Body of Christ needs to accomplish God’s Will on this earth, the perfect bond of Unity that only comes through Christ.

Lastly Paul says that we are to let the peace of Christ, “rule” in our hearts. Now what does that say to you and I? It says that we are to overthrow anything that tries to remove Compassion and forgiveness from the throne of our hearts. It is Christ who sits there and His very being is forgiveness and compassion, which is why He came for us. I like the way Paul says this, we are called in one body, and we should be thankful for one another and not judgmental. There should be nothing too big for us to get over for the work of Christ to move on…God Bless.

Pastor William