This morning I filled my cup with Door County Cherry Crème Coffee and said a prayer before this gets sent to you. I want to start today's writing with "Have a nice day!"
Matthew 14:14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
The Hebrew and Greek words translated “compassion” in the Bible mean “to have mercy, to feel sympathy and to have pity.
John 5New King James Version (NKJV)
A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda
5 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?”
7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
Compassion is a word that has many levels to it. As I look at the verses above, I see Jesus showing compassion to multitudes of people and then one man along side of a well. Jesus was on His way to celebrate Jewish Holy Days. He had been pouring himself into healing, teaching and loving others. But yet as he saw a man sitting by a well that at times had miracles occur within the water and people would be healed. Jesus had somewhere to go. Yet He stopped to help someone. I believe Jesus showed gut wrenching compassion and affection to this man. This type of affection and compassion is the type that pulls hard on your gut and bowels until you do something about it. Would we stop our sleep to go to the hospital in the middle of the night for just an acquaintance and pray with them? Does our gut hurt when we hear about a foot on a young lady who might lose it if their isn't an operation? Do our bowels ache with compassion for the young couple who hurt because of a break up? Would we stay up late to pray for two premature twins? How about giving up a Saturday night to pray for a young lady who is chronically ill and is in the hospital as much as she is out of it. Does the pain of hearing about a mother who asks for prayer for her young daughter full of unknown lumps, and it does not sound good?
This is the type of compassion our Savior gave out. I can prove it. He died for our sins. Enough said. Would you allow your compassion to call you to action, even if it is not convenient?
Food for thought!
Marty
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