BIBLE PASSAGE:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God.
(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)
MEDITATION:
Have you ever met someone you thought was a great person? It seems
like everything about them meshes with your own personality. Not only
that, but you discovered that the person is incredibly talented. The more
you are around him or her, the more you can see their compassion and
concern for others. He or she is the type of person you really enjoy being
around; someone you admire and compliment often.
As believers, God is the One we should admire and praise. There is no
one on earth who has as much compassion as God. He knows exactly
how and when to comfort and console us when we are troubled, sad,
or in stressful situations. What a great Counselor we can go to in our
time of need!
Why exactly does He show us His enormous amount of compassion?
We know it’s not for His benefit, so it must be for our benefit, right?
God created us, knows our capabilities, and has greater purposes for
us than we might imagine. He ‘teaches’ us how to comfort and console
others when they are having difficulties. Let that marinate in your
mind….God uses us as His venue for comforting and encouraging
others!
When we have experienced what someone else is going through,
we know how they feel, and we can empathize with them because
we have ‘been there’ ourselves. As God’s agents of compassion, we
might find ourselves in uncomfortable situations sometimes, but
we need to remember that He is working through us to touch the
life of someone else.
It’s our opportunity to trust and depend on Him rather than trying
to do things on our own. God wants us to do what He has taught and
prepared us for completing. He gives us the option of making choices,
so we must choose to allow Him to work through us for the good of
others.
We don’t want to inhibit His plans, do we? When God uses us, we
can expect to have a humble attitude (like Jesus) and to move out
of our comfort zone. It also means we need to transition from an
attitude of selfishness to a new attitude of selflessness (like Jesus).
God doesn’t teach and prepare us for becoming His agents if He doesn’t
expect us to do His will. Think about this: how much of His time on earth
did Jesus wait for others to minister to Him. He was more concerned about
being a giver than being a consumer, wasn’t He? Jesus was focused outwardly
instead of inwardly (selfless instead of selfish).
We live in a world that wants to contradict and oppose anything related
to God. When a person is going through a difficult time, we might hear
someone say,
“They just need to get over it!”
or
“I have my own issues and don’t have the time
to spend showing concern for, or encouraging others”
instead of being understanding and compassionate (like Jesus).
We appreciate it when others say or do something that is encouraging to
us, but how often do we reach out to others? Are we the antithesis of what
Jesus taught us about being givers? We can’t expect to be God’s agents of
compassion unless we have an attitude that’s like the Jesus we are following.
If we expect to reflect the compassion and concern God has for us, then we
must strive to know Him better, wouldn’t you agree? Can you imagine God
talking about Himself and having little time for listening to others? If He was
that way, then prayer would be pointless, wouldn’t it? However, God is not
only interested in what we have to say, but He encourages us to talk to Him
and tell Him about our concerns.
Contrast how God interacts with us, with the things we experience when
interacting with others. There are some who are guilty of talking mostly
about themselves, and consequently, they spend little time asking others
to tell them what is going on in their lives. It is hard to encourage others
if we are not aware of where they need encouragement.
There are some who interrupt and talk over others when they try to speak.
It may not be their intention, but it can cause the other person to feel that
what they have to say is unimportant, can’t it? Was Jesus a good listener?
Did He ask leading questions that encouraged others to share their concerns
with Him?
ACTION:
Questions to consider:
– Am I glad that God cares as much as He does for me?
– Do I praise Him for being the awesome Heavenly Father He is?
– What have I learned from the times He has comforted me?
– Do I show others the kind of concern and compassion He has shown me?
– Can I think of others who have asked about my issues,
and not only prayed for, but encouraged me?
– Am I more of a ‘giver’ (like Jesus), or am I a ‘consumer’?
– Are there others who would say that I have reached out to
check on them and any issues they are having; to assure them
that I am praying for them and that I have a sincere concern?
– How would God assess my efforts to allow Him to minister to
others through me? Would He say I am proactive or reactive?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise that when we mourn
You will comfort us. I have felt the presence of Your comforting in
the past and I know You will never leave me. Teach me to show the
kind of compassion and concern for others that You have shown to
me. Show me how to be forgiving of others in the same way You
have forgiven me. Help me to prevent selfishness from causing
me to waste the things You have taught me. Convict me of the
importance of loving others as You have loved me. My I be the
kind of usable person that allows You to speak to others through
me. Remind me that if I am going to be more like Jesus, then I
need to unselfishly reach out to others, instead of always expecting
others to reach out to me. Thank You for being my constant encourager
and comforter! I pray that someone will be able say that about me.”
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