Christ-Like Compassion

Sometimes when churches begin to talk and focus on compassion, the idea of compassion becomes the center of everything.  The entirety of the church begins to revolve around the idea, “Where can we show compassion?”  I know that several of you are probably thinking, “well what’s wrong with that?”  Specifically, nothing…eventually EVERYTHING!

Many, in fact I would dare say thousands of good well meaning churches have fallen victim to not keeping the main thing, the main thing.  They have allowed a good, wonderful, and fantastic thing become an idol to them.  In doing so they have removed the central core of what church is about, connecting people to God.  When Christ had compassion on people, it wasn’t just because he felt bad for them, or felt sorry for their circumstance.  He saw much deeper than that.  He saw the real problem, they did not have a genuine relationship with God, and therefore they were lost…

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. – Matt 9:36

If you feed a starving person, but don’t help them connect with God…you’ve just prolonged the inevitable.  Let’s always be about making the eternal difference in people’s lives!