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Those Who Have Compassion
Victoria Boyson
www.boyson.org
There are two kinds of shepherds in the body of Christ: those who have compassion and those who do not. "By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another" (John 13:34).
The Lord said we would be known by our love! Our greatest witness to this world will not be our Christian bumper stickers, our big Bibles, or our spiritual intellect. All
those things are wonderful indeed, but our greatest witness will be our LOVE. People are starving for love. The whole hippy movement was based on the desire to be loved. They wanted so much to fill their need for love with
"free-love," but they were left feeling even emptier than they had previously felt. IF we, as the body of Christ, put our love, not our religion, on display in a great way, we would see the world come to know Christ.
The natural love of the human race is becoming colder, thereby giving us an even greater showcase for our God-given kind of love. "See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord
rises upon you and his glory appears over you" (Isaiah 60:2). This glory comes through an exhibition of love. That love proves our case for Jesus and will bring the nations to the light of the gospel (see Isaiah 60:3).
Ministry of Compassion
Jesus did not spend His time on earth just preaching great sermons, but He proved the gospel with acts of love. He truly cared for people, and was concerned for their well being. He did not
just minister to their souls, but to their bodies as well (see Matthew 15:31). He cared that their practical needs were met (see Matthew 15:32). He proved His words with His acts of kindness to the people. Christ spent most of
His time in ministry showing us how to love, and then He said, "Love each other as I have loved you" (John 15:12). He did not just tell us to love one other, but to love as He loved. And, He laid His life
down for others.
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).
The Power to Disarm
Years ago, when my husband and I were youth pastors, one of
our youths parents came to me seething in anger. She was extremely upset and was quite forceful in her opinions. I listened to her complaints for some time, trying to reason with her. Then, I heard the Lord speak into my
spirit, "Tell her you love her." As I did, she stopped short and began to cry. Her heated countenance melted into humble resignation.
What she really needed was to hear that we loved her. What was at the core
of her complaints was the feeling that she and her children did not matter to us. When I assured her that they did, the lies of the enemy were disarmed.
Time and time again I have seen situations like this. People who
have been offended turn into time bombs of emotions, and you are the target. It seems like the misunderstanding will never be resolved, but love is a powerful weapon and can disarm the bomb of offense. Love will peel off layers
of hurt and woundedness. It is very powerful.
We can absorb their pain and lay down our own emotions and reasoning to free them from the coldness that has encroached on their heart. I have been truly amazed by the power
of compassion.
I am convinced this power can cure the ills of our society and can empower the church of Jesus to be the light that Isaiah talked about in chapter 58, verse 10. "If you spend yourself on behalf of
the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness and your night will become like the noonday."
Two Different Spirits
First Kings, chapter three, tells us of two
women who each had a baby. As they slept in the same house, one woman accidentally smothered her baby in her sleep. In the night, she woke up and found her baby had died. She decided to place her dead baby in bed with her
friend and take the live baby for herself. In the morning when they awoke, the first woman realized what had happened. Their argument was taken before King Solomon who made a very wise ruling.
"Then the king said,
'Bring me a sword.' So they brought a sword for the king. He then gave an order: 'Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.'
"The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion
for her son and said to the king, 'Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!' But the other said, 'Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!'
"Then the king gave his ruling: 'Give the living
baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother' " (1 Kings 3:24-27).
The child's true mother was the one who had compassion on him. She was known by her compassion. We, in the same way, must be known for our compassion, not our religion. The
world will not be looking for your religious badge that declares what denomination you are from, but they will receive your gospel on the basis of your love. They are looking for the love of God and they will not care what
denomination you are from. Whether you are Baptist, Presbyterian, Catholic, Pentecostal or charismatic will not matter to them, and it does not matter to God, either. He will know you by your love.
Where are the true
mothers and fathers of the faith? You know, the spiritual mothers and fathers who will care for the flock - who would give up their own lives, if necessary, to protect them?
Many of the spiritual leaders of today have
gotten things turned around. They have the mindset that the flock was created to serve the shepherd. In actuality, the shepherding occupation was created to take care of the sheep. They are servants who are responsible for the
well-being of the sheep. We, as Christian leaders, should see that we serve the body as though we were serving the Lord. The true shepherds will be known by their supernatural instincts to protect the sheep, not to control and
manipulate them.
"I am the good Shepherd. The good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs
away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it" (John 10:11-12).
The woman who was willing to give up her baby just to see it live was rewarded by the king. She got her baby back. She had been moved by her
compassion for her baby. And to spare his life, she gave him up. The false mother was willing to have the child destroyed, not allowing either of them to have him, to prove she was right. She was motivated by her love for
herself; the life of the baby was insignificant to her. The true mother valued the life of the child more than she did her "rights" to the child.
If you desire to be a shepherd of any kind, you must know that
your desire must produce an outward flow of compassion for those you lead. You will be known by your love, and the Lord will reward you by giving you many spiritual children. You do not need to have an official title given to
you in order to shepherd God's people. You need only to love and respect them.
Pray this with me:
Dear Father,
More than any other gift that You give, Lord, I desire to love others. I ask now for the grace
to love Your people, no matter their race, religion, social status or gender. Give me the gift of compassion, make me a true shepherd of Your people, pour Your love through me onto those around me.
Scripture references NIV
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