“Jesus said, “Love the
Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it;
“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV).
This is a commandment that
Jesus proclaimed after the Pharisees, who were against him, had asked Him what
the greatest commandment was in the Law. They thought they had Him cornered but
instead of yelling at them, He just calmly stated the above verse. Did you know
that the word love is mentioned 319 times in the Old Testament and 232 times in
the New Testament? Did you know that the
word disappointment never occurs in the Bible?
Jesus’ whole ministry was based on love. He never told anyone that they
were a disappointment to Him. He loved
Judas as much as He loved Lazarus. He loved the woman who was caught in
adultery who the Pharisees threw on the ground in front of him in disgust. With
stones in their hands, these men dared Jesus to say the word to stone her, but
instead he bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. He
said to these Pharisees, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the
first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7 NIV).
One by one they left and Jesus was alone with this woman. Then he said,
‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? “No, one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of
sin” (John 8:10-11 NIV).
You see Jesus showed love
and compassion to someone who was in a desperate situation. All of these
stories about Jesus in the Bible are to be an example of how we are to treat
others. We are to show compassion and love to everyone. It is very easy to
judge others sometimes when we truly don’t know what has gone on in their
lives. You see none of us get through life without being hurt in some way or
another. All of us have secret parts of our lives that we do not let anyone in
to see. Sometimes these things that happened can cause people to be bitter and
angry. How do you react to people who are like this? I truly believe that
people who are mean or nasty carry around some pretty heavy burdens. These are
the ones who truly need your prayers, and they need to be shown compassion. How
do you show compassion every day?
I truly try to look people
in the eyes at my work. I can usually tell if something is wrong and I try to
show compassion to them. People’s eyes can portray pain, agony, sadness, and
anger. Are you noticing this? It only takes a few minutes, to stop and say, “Is
everything alright? Can I help you?”
I urge you this week to be
aware of those around you and who is suffering. Offer to pray for them or just
give them a hug and an encouraging word. I am a big hugger, so I give my coworkers
hugs when I see they are distressed. A hug is always comforting. Look around
you and offer hope and love to those who need it.
Dear Lord,
Help me to reach out to
others in love and show your compassion in all I do. Help me not to judge those
who demonstrate anger and bitterness. There is always a reason for such
behavior. Thank you for your mercy and grace.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
