Understanding Compassion
(week 51/05)
Olubi Johnson
Firstly, we wish all of our readers and partners a joyous Xmas and Christ-filled victorious New Year.
In this season in which Gods love for humanity is being celebrated in remembering the birth of His son Jesus Christ, we desire you would develop the compassion God: hence our article Understanding Compassion. Be blessed as you read and study.
Matthew 15:32-38 KJV: Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. 33 And his disciples say unto him, whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? 34 And Jesus saith unto them, how many loaves have ye? And they said, seven, and a few little fishes. 35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. 36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
Compassion is being touched: spiritually sensitive to the feeling of the infirmities or weaknesses of others.
Here, the Lord Jesus was touched with the feeling of the weakness and hunger of the multitude that had been with him for three days.
We need to develop compassion so we will not be selfish and self-centred.
We develop compassion by developing the wisdom of God to walk in love by the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.
The wisdom of Word of God causes us to have God’s mind and so be sensitive to what God is sensitive to.
The power of the Holy Spirit enables us to respond in power to meet human need that compassion makes us sensitive to: like the power of God here multiplied the bread and fishes to feed over 4,000 people.
May God grant you better understanding and development of His compassion in this season of love!
