Compassion of Christ

The song on my heart this morning is this... thank you, Jesus, you set me free.  Christ my Savior, You rescued me.

You've given me life
You've opened my eyes
I love You Lord
I love You Lord
You've entered my heart
You've set me apart
I love You Lord
I love You Lord

(Thank You Jesus, by Hillsong)

Paul said, "I have decided to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified," (1 Corinthians 2:2).

He also told  Timothy to "pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf; give thanks to God for them," (1 Timothy 2:1). 

Standing in a crowded place, not really thinking about anything, my thoughts turned to the Lord.  I thought, "Lord, what would You want me to be thinking about right now?"  His response to my heart was this... "look at all these people all around you."  And I looked and thought about the hundreds, maybe thousands, of people all around me... wondering where they were going, what they were doing, did they know Christ? 

I thought about 1 Timothy 2:1 - "pray for all people... ask God to help them... intercede for them... give thanks for them."  So I started doing that, just simply, quietly, without speaking...

"Thank you, Father, for these people, thank you. Please help them, God.  In every way, please help them........."

And in that moment of simple prayer, a change came over me.  I felt love for these people.  I felt compassion.  My heart went out to them for the pain they may have experienced, for the choices they have to make, for the burdens they are carrying and the sickness they may be experiencing.  Are they all alone?  Who will help them?  Who will be there for them?  No one could have offended me in that moment.  No one could have irritated me.  Forgiveness was at the forefront... ready before it was even needed.  These were God's people... the ones He loves... the ones He wants to bring to Himself. In a moment, I felt joy for them, and sadness at the same time.  Where are they with Christ? Are they His?  Are they seeking Him?  What can I say?  What can I do that will lead them to Him?  

And there it was.  The love and compassion of Christ that leads to seeking the lost and bringing them into the Father.  I went from standing in a crowd doing nothing, to praying for the salvation of the lost who surrounded me on all sides, and all it took was asking the Father a simple question: "what do You want from me in this moment?"  And what did He want?  For me to love people, pray for them, and get them to the Cross.  

How different life would be if this is what we did all the time.  Living in the compassion of Christ for all people.  The world would be a different, and much better place.

We're not perfect, but in Christ, we get better every day.  This compassion can be our world if that is what we desire.