January 31 – Compassionate to Whom?

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'  Matthew 25:31-40

For years I’ve tried to offer a cold bottle of water to anyone who comes to my door, especially on hot summer days. When visiting my daughter recently I was so pleased to hear her offer a bottle of water to a young man working on their new home. That is compassion. Now she is modeling this trait for her children. The passage in Matthew 25 refers to the way we are to treat fellow Christians, but if we treat everyone as if they are “brothers or sisters” in the Lord, then we won’t miss treating others like Jesus. If they are Christian, then we’ve done what is expected of us. If they are not Christian, then they may feel the love of the Lord and be drawn into His knowledge and grace. What are some ideas of ways that you can show compassion to those in your church and community?

Training Tip – Next time you are out with your children and see a homeless person, or beggar on the street asking for money, go to the nearest fast food restaurant and buy a meal. Take it back to the needy person and give it to them. After delivering the meal, remind your children that we should treat everyone as if they were Jesus, a child of God. Consider it a joy to help others. Model compassionate behavior in your home and community.

Add to your list more ways that you can serve others for Jesus. 

 Lord – Please be gracious to my children and grandchildren to wrap them in compassion—that they would desire to be compassionate to others all their lives and that this virtue would be deeply imbedded in their hearts.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.