Jesus looked at the multitudes who were coming and “felt compassion” for they were “distresed” and “thrown down” spiritually, they were as sheep who had no Shepherd. He told the disciples to pray to the LORD of the harvest, to compel people into His Harvest. For He cares for the eternal welfare of people!-{Matt 9:36-39}. In the next chapter the ones He told to pray were the ones He sent! Compassion will move you to identification with others and leads to action. Prayer can be compassion in action! He looked not with indifference, or irritated because they were coming – again! But He saw they were beat down, and defenceless spiritually, and He acted! In Colossians 3 we are told to put on, as though it was a garment, but it is an attitude to be adopted and an action to be lived out, one of “compassion.” The Good Samaritan upon finding the man beat up and left in the side of the road, was moved with compassion to act. He put himself in the man’s place and acted as if it was his problem, his need. He took care of him and when he got him to a safe place and offered if he had any needs to be met while he was gone he would settle up on his return. Compassion In Action! Compassion, is to put yourself in the place of another and take responsibility, and own it as though it is your own situation!
Sorrow will move the emmotions. Compassion will move you to action. How can you develop compassion? Ask the LORD to help you see people from His perspective. Begin to PRAY for people. Put yourself in anothers shoes and do for them what you would want done for you. You have the command, the capacity and now the choice to be compassionate.
“Put on a heart of compassion…”- {Col 3:13}