As the Lord is growing me in grace, He is showing me how grace and compassion are intertwined. Jesus is compassionate. Are you? Christ has been so gracious toward us, but we are often so hard on others. We must extend compassion to others, just as Jesus has extended compassion to us.
We are only able to extend grace to others when we are compassionate toward them and their situation. So often, instead of being compassionate, we criticize. We have gotten so hard that instead of empathizing, we simply judge. We talk about why people got themselves into situations instead of praying for them, helping when we can.
Jesus is compassionate. Are you?
When I look back over my life, including those situations I found myself in due to my own bad decisions, I’m grateful that Jesus was compassionate toward me. One of the amazing aspects about Jesus is that He knows all and takes everything into account when assessing a situation. He knows why we make bad choices, and he aims to deal with the why- the heart of the matter.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
– Proverbs 4:23
To grow in compassion, we must begin to see beneath the surface.
As we begin to understand more of why people do what they do, we are able to love them in spite of their decisions. When Jesus corrects me, it is always in love. It’s not harsh or discouraging, but rather it is encouraging as He lets me know it is for my good.
“Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:”
– Job 5:17
God corrects us because He loves us and wants the best for us.
Are we encouraging and positive when dealing with others? Are we gracious? Remembering all the kindness and grace that has been bestowed upon us?
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
– Ephesians 2:8-9
We are saved by grace. Our salvation is a gift from God. A gift, so we have no room to boast or feel prideful or superior. Remembering this will help us to be more compassionate toward others. We mustn’t judge but simply love.
It’s easy as Christians to receive our blessings and forget what we were once like. We forget how we once were, the things we used to do, the way we used to look. We forget how unstable life was without Christ.
If we take a moment to remember, then we will realize that all of our blessings are simply because of His grace and compassion. We must walk in grace and compassion, as Jesus has been exceedingly compassionate toward us.
“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us,”
– Ephesians 5:1-2a
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