A COMPASSIONATE HEART

As a disciple of the LORD Jesus Christ, we are called to be compassionate. The LORD Jesus, has amply demonstrated His compassion, and we are to follow Him the same way. The Bible says, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32. Jesus says, “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.” – Luke 6:35

Compassion is an all inclusive character trait of a Christian. It is a word which includes, a whole range of traits, that are visible for everyone to see – Benevolent, Kind, Humane, Sympathetic, Thoughtful, Gentle, Gracious, Friendly.

The University of California, Berkeley, USA, says thus in their article, “What is Compassion?” – “Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. Compassion is not the same as empathy or altruism, though the concepts are related.”

The article further says that, “…when we feel compassion, our heart rate slows down, we secrete the “bonding hormone” oxytocin, and regions of the brain linked to empathy, caregiving, and feelings of pleasure light up, which often results in our wanting to approach and care for other people.”

When we look at around and see, compassion is what is dearly lacking in the world. The world we live in, is just as the Lord Jesus had prophesied, “12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” – Matthew 24:12. The coldness of our hearts is closely linked with the lawlessness and anarchy – where the people and the rulers, are unwilling to abide by the established law, and their intense desire to get what they want, at any cost, and by any means.

How about us as Christians? We who are called to be the “salt” and the “light” by the LORD Jesus Christ [Matthew 5:13-16] ought to display our compassionate hearts in all aspects of our lives. Sadly the Church, instead of being a spiritual force in the world, has turned itself into a political influence. Many times, we have begun to sense compassion and meekness as weakness attached. Let us never forget, the LORD Himself was meek and has exhorted us to be so, on more than one occasion [Matthew 5:3-12] and calls us to walk in the same manner. We have to get back to what God wants us to be. 
“4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude.” “12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” “8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”
“17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit… 1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,” – 1 Corinthians 13:4, Colossians 3:12, 1 Peter 3:8-9, 3:17-18, 4:1.