Compassion for others

John 8:10-11 (NKJV)

10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

This is the story of a woman caught in adultery. The crowd brought her to Jesus saying that the Law of Moses had commanded stoning of such a person.  In other words they placed their judgment upon her. Jesus had said to the crowd, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” Hearing those words the crowd dispersed for they all knew they had sin in their lives.

My wife and I will often watch Dr. Drew on HLN in the evenings. Last night there was a panel discussion about a college girl who was participating in porn to pay her way through college. The panel of people debated whether this was right or wrong. Dr. Drew made a point that agrees with the words of Jesus, we can still tell someone they have a problem without placing a judgment upon them.

The Bible tells us for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of The Lord. It’s why the crowd who was ready to pass judgment on the adulterous woman and stone her quickly backed off when they thought about the sins in their lives. Perhaps even some of the men had been with this woman before.

There is nothing wrong with pointing out sin in a person’s life, but remember if you have obvious sin in your life get ready for them to say something back to you. It’s why we lovingly point out problems people have and instead of placing judgment upon them; we love them and offer help to restore them.

I once read Christians are the harshest on Christians who have sinned. These people are wounded and instead of picking them up and carrying them off the battlefield of sin we leave them there wounded and helpless. We need to be more proactive in helping people and showing our love for them.

Let us learn to talk to people about their problems in a loving way and without condemnation or judgment. Let us strive to help and show people they are loved. Let us also remember our own sins and deal with them properly. Let us ensure we have dealt with our own problems before trying to deal with the problems of others.

May God bless you, give you the wisdom to know right from wrong, and give you compassion to love others and help them through their problems.

If someone asks you - be ready

1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)

15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

We sanctify the Lord God in our hearts when we with sincerity and fervency adore him, when our thoughts of him are awful and reverend, when we rely upon his power, trust to his faithfulness, submit to his wisdom, imitate his holiness, and give him the glory due to his most illustrious perfections [Matthew Henry]

In his book A Sweet and Bitter Providence, John Piper offers these thoughts about God's providence:

Life is not a straight line leading from one blessing to the next and then finally to heaven. Life is a winding and troubled road. Switchback after switchback. And the point of biblical stories like Joseph and Job and Esther and Ruth is to help us feel in our bones (not just know in our heads) that God is for us in all these strange turns. God is not just showing up after the trouble and cleaning it up. He is plotting the course and managing the troubles with far-reaching purposes for our good and for the glory of Jesus Christ. [John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence (Crossway Books & Bibles, 2010), pp.101-102]

When you have lived a Christian life you understand life provides moments of uncertainty, moments of pain, moments of sadness and other hardships along the way. Now there are good moments too and regardless of whether the moments are good or bad The Lord is always walking with us. Because The Lord is always with us we can use the moments of our life as a testimony to others. If someone asks, “What gives you hope about eternal life?” you can respond Jesus Christ. For He is Our Savior, Our Rock, Our Shepherd, Lord of all and many other names of importance. We can give examples of how we know The Lord guided us when we were lost and in what we should do. Be ready when others ask you about your Christian life and be ready to explain it – the good parts and the bad parts; for Christ loves us no matter what.

Restoring the heart

Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV)

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Here the psalmist calls out to God about the sincerity of his intentions. If there is any wrong within him, he wants God to find it. If there is wrong that is found he wants God to lead him in the right ways.

In the daily round of life, dust and cobwebs accumulate in our souls. The hidden corners of our hearts become encrusted with grime or filled with forgotten debris. During the weeks of Lent, God's Spirit is given opportunity to clear away the clutter, sweep away the dust and wash us clean. We are invited to prepare ourselves—heart, soul, mind, and body—for the new life of Easter.

 [— Marlene Kropf, U.S. professor in spiritual formation (Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary)]

There are things hidden away inside of us that have been long forgotten. Unfortunately those things remain with us for a long time affecting the way we live. There are times we need to sit down with God and cry out like the psalmist asking for God to search our hearts and show us the sins and problems that exist. Then we need to confess those sins and ask God to restore us and help us. 

God's Plans

Isaiah 25:1 (NLT)

25 O Lord, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them.

As the prophet begins this chapter he gives honor and praise to God. He does this because those who are going to proclaim the glorious works of God should first give praise and honor to those works He has done.

Over 100 years ago, a tornado struck the prairies of Minnesota. Many were killed, hundreds were injured, and one small town was almost demolished. In the midst of the disaster, an elderly British surgeon and his two medically trained sons worked almost around the clock for days aiding the stricken, bandaging wounds, and setting broken limbs.

Their heroic work did not go unnoticed. Their excellence as physicians and their selflessness in the service of those in need created a following among the tornado victims. The doctor and his sons were offered financial backing to build a hospital, provided that they took charge.

The men agreed and in 1889 founded a clinic that soon attracted nationwide attention. Their little clinic grew.

The city was Rochester, Minnesota.

The elderly doctor’s name: William W. Mayo.

His sons: William J. and Charles Mayo.

Their clinic is called simply “The Mayo Clinic.” It now consists of over 500 physicians treating more than 200,000 people a year. It is known worldwide as one of the premier places of health, healing and excellence in medicine.

I’m sure if you asked the citizens of Minnesota about the Rochester tornado at the time, they would have said it was all about death and destruction, an unqualified disaster.

But, put in the perspective of better than a century, and in the hands of a creative God, the tornado was really about life, help, and healing.  [J. R. Love, Rushton, Louisiana]

In the NIV Bible translation, Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God has plans for all of us. Surrender to The Lord and see what takes place.

Peacemakers

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)

6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul gives words of encouragement as he tries to settle a disagreement between two women, Euodia and Syntyche. They had worked hard serving The Lord and Paul wanted to bring peace into their lives.

In his book Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for Understanding, author and professor Robert A. Guelich writes of the role Christ-followers play as peacemakers:

The peace intended is not merely that of political and economic stability, as in the Greco-Roman world, but peace in the Old Testament inclusive sense of wholeness, all that constitutes well-being…

The "peacemakers," therefore, are not simply those who bring peace between two conflicting parties, but those actively at work making peace, bringing about wholeness and well-being among the alienated. [Robert A. Guelich, Sermon on the Mount: A Foundation for Understanding (W Publishing Group, 1991)]

In this world there are peacekeepers and peacemakers. Peacekeepers try to maintain a status quo. They try to hide the things that would destroy peace. They may say such things as, “Let’s just forget about this and move on.

Peacemakers on the other hand don’t avoid conflict; instead they face it. They call attention to a problem and seek a resolution. Peacemakers help mend relationships and break down barriers that separate people.

God wants to bring peace into your life. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done; then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Do not be afraid

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

This is The Lord’s charge to Joshua as he is about to enter the Promised Land. God has reminded Joshua of the past promises and now tells him to not be afraid, but be strong and courageous; for where God sends Joshua, God will be there with him.

Dennis N. T. Perkins writes in Leading at the Edge (AMACOM, 2000): Earnest Shackleton led a daring expedition in 1914 to reach Antarctica. A year earlier, a lesser-known Canadian-led expedition headed in the other direction to explore the North Pole. Both ships, the Karluk in the north and the Endurance in the south, found themselves trapped by solid ice packs. Each crew was faced with a fight for survival. But the outcomes of the two expeditions couldn't have been more different.

In the north, the crew members from the Karluk, led by Vilhjalmur Stefansson, degenerated into a band of selfish, mean-spirited, cut-throat individualists, ending in the death of all 11 crew members. In the south, Shackleton's crew faced the same problems—cold, food shortages, stress, and anxiety—but his crew responded with teamwork, self-sacrifice, and astonishing good cheer.

In the end, each leader stayed true to his core leadership values. Stefansson valued success above caring for people. He consistently communicated his ultimate objective: getting to the North Pole. In Stefansson's words this meant "that even the lives of the [crew] are secondary to the accomplishment of the work!" To the very end, Stefansson denied that his drive for success led to a tragedy—for himself and his crew.

In sharp contrast, Shackleton's leadership focused on the value and dignity of his teammates. At one of the lowest points of his trip, Shackleton wrote, "The task was now to secure the safety of the party." The well-being of his team drove him to put others first. Shackleton even gave away his mittens and boots and volunteered for the longest night watches. By valuing each person, Shackleton forged a team that was willing to share their rations with each other, even on the brink of starvation. Through his example of sacrificial leadership, Shackleton was able to accomplish his ultimate objective: saving the lives of his crew members.

In the verse above God was going to take Joshua and the Israelites into a dangerous land; and God’s promise was to be right there with them. In the midst of hunger – God would be there. In the midst of stress – God would be there. In the midst of battle – God would be there. Joshua knew God kept His promises and would be there to support the Israelites in all they were to do.

Trust in The Lord

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

This proverb tells us to trust in the Lord, not a little, but with our entire heart. It is difficult to depend upon our own understanding; for we are flawed and the understanding we have about ourselves is also flawed. We are reminded that if we seek out The Lord’s will in all areas of our life that The Lord shows us the proper paths to take.

Eugene Peterson, writes in Earth and Alter (Intervarsity Press, 1985), Two commands direct us from the small-minded world of self-help to the large world of God's help. First, "Come, behold the works of the Lord." Take a long, scrutinizing look at what God is doing. This requires patient attentiveness and energetic concentration. Everybody else is noisier than God. The headlines and neon lights and amplifying systems of the world announce human works. But what of God's works? They are unadvertised but also inescapable, if we simply look. They are everywhere. They are marvelous. But God has no public relations agency. He mounts no publicity campaign to get our attention. He simply invites us to look …

The second command is "Be still, and know that I am God." Be still. Quit rushing through the streets long enough to become aware that there is more to life than your little self-help enterprises. When we are noisy and when we are hurried, we are incapable of intimacy—deep, complex, personal relationships. If God is the living center of redemption, it is essential that we be in touch with and responsive to that personal will. If God has a will for this world and we want to be in on it, we must be still long enough to find out what it is (for we certainly are not going to learn by watching the evening news). Baron von Hugel, who had a wise word on most subjects, always held out that "nothing was ever accomplished in a stampede."

The words of Eugene Peterson, who is both pastor and author, go well with the proverbs above. We need to stop and behold what God has done in world; for in stopping to see His wonders we come to trust His works. In stopping and being still we also take time to develop a relationship with God so we better understand His will for us.