compassion

What stands out to me is the overarching theme of COMPASSION of our great God. All through this study, over and over and over again, I see the hessed (loving-kindness) of God at work in the hearts of His wayward children- in ME.

Compassion means to ’’to suffer together with an intent to relieve another’s suffering’’ and that is our great God. I had made a mess of my life and lived for decades to please myself with such self-righteousness and pride it’s a marvel He didn’t stop my heart and yet in His compassion, He granted me saving faith, removed the scales from my eyes and granted me the gift of repentance. And after coming to Christ, I continued to sin regularly and had no idea of longstanding idols in my heart. In His compassionate timing, He was gracious to show me that sin and allow me that ongoing gift of walking the road of repentance, AND that continues today.

God is just so compassionate towards His rebellious, wayward, sinning evil me! I truly am filled with wonder and awe again at His compassion towards me from completing this study. He loves me! He LOVES ME!!! WOW...Just wow. It’s mind-blowing, inconceivable, undeserved, but sure and true. All this and we get heaven still!!!

There are times I lose sight of God’s loving, compassion. It’s easier for me to camp out on the attribute of His sovereignty or justice, wrath, or even holiness than it is to embrace His compassion, or His deep love, for His children. Specifically, His compassion for me. So, I came out of this with a higher view of God as a compassionate God who weeps at this sin-ruined and soaked world and all the loss, grief, destruction sin causes and how He is moved with compassion for what I am suffering through and what other around me are suffering through. I do realize He has not asked me to suffer that much (no pity party going on here). And, I will never go thru what Job was asked to go thru or Joseph and especially none of us will ever suffer as our Savior suffered but God cares. He really cares for His smelly, lost, hurting, wayward sheep. One thing I learned about sheep yesterday is once a sheep wonders off and gets lost, it will NEVER return (unlike a horse or dog or even cats that have been known to travel a 1000 miles to come back to the owner). The shepherd has to go find that sheep and bring it BACK, or its gone forever. I am really thankful I am loved this much that the Lord comes and gets me, out of His heart of compassion for me, every time I have wondered or gotten lost.

Dear Jesus, Thank you for helping me to see your compassion for me through this study in new & vibrant ways. You are my Savior and my Lord, God of heaven and earth, Holy, Mighty, Perfect in all your ways. You are righteous and full of wrath for sin as you are holy and just. But you also have compassion on your wayward, sinning, lost sheep. You have compassion for me. You had compassion for me all those years ago when I was busy sinning up a storm and you granted me saving faith and you have compassion today for what I am enduring through with losses of reputation, ministry, relationships etc. I have come to see that you chose, out of your loving kindness to come to earth and ’’suffer together’’ with us wayward sheep because you have a heart that is moved by our human suffering, my suffering, and you were motivated to relieve that suffering. Thank you for loving me so much you died for me, in my place, and took all of the punishment my hideous sin deserves and granted me freedom in Christ. I love you, Jesus, but I know I love you because you first loved me! Help me to share your compassionate heart in a deeper more meaningful way to others around me and not keep this to myself but shout from the rooftops of your great loving-kindness towards your creation/creatures. May You receive all the glory! May Your kingdom be furthered and Your great name magnified all the days I have breath left in me to proclaim. AMEN