READ: Matthew 19:20-26
But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of COMPASSION FROM HIM, HOW DWELLETH THE LOVE OF GOD IN HIM?
1 John 3: 17
Having compassion for people who have problems is a sign of your love for the Lord. It is indeed a sign of your closeness to the Lord. A lot of people have problems and needs. As you grow in your love for God, you will start feeling what God feels for these people.
As you get closer to someone, you start to find out his needs, his desires, his preferences and his wishes. Your understanding of a person’s needs, desires, wishes are a revelation of your closeness to the person. The closer you are to someone, the closer you will be to his real problems.
One day, some people bought a present for me. Although they had made a great effort, their choice of a gift was out of order. It was not something I wanted or desired. It was not something I could even use. It was not something I liked. It was not something that I had wished for. They had completely misread me. This misplaced and misdirected gift revealed that they were not as close to me as they thought. They were not close to my mind. They were not close to my heart and that is why they bought this unusable gift for me.
When we are close to the Lord, we will understand his heart. When we love the Lord we will feel what he feels and be close to His deepest desires.
One of God’s deepest feelings is His feeling for lost and suffering humanity. Jesus said, “I was hungry. I was thirsty. I was naked. I was sick. I was in prison.” Jesus spoke of these terrible human conditions and stirred us up to care for them. He said that all those who show compassion would be blessed.