WHO IS THE MOST COMPASSIONATE FRIEND YOU HAVE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Just as a father has compassion of his children, so the Lord has
compassion on those who fear Him. For He knows how we are
formed, and He is mindful that we are dust.
(Psalm 103:13-14)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought to yourself, “Nobody understands me”? It is
a feeling we can have when we need compassion from others. Other
words for ‘compassion’ include:
    sympathy, empathy, concern, care, consideration and kindness.
In summary, a person with compassion is someone who has genuine
concern about the welfare of others.

Having a compassionate friend is a blessing from the Lord. We would
all like to have friends who are compassionate when we have issues and
we especially appreciate compassionate friends who want to see us have
a relationship with the Lord.

Why is that important? Because when we have a relationship with the
Lord, we know that He is the most compassionate friend we could have.

The psalmist knew this, and we could say that he ‘paid it forward’ to
those who would come after him. One key element that he wanted
others to understand is, ‘fear of the Lord’ is the key that opens the
door to His compassion.

Fear of the Lord can include fear of His wrath, but more importantly
it means to have awe and respect for Him. It means that we have a
desire to obediently please Him and fulfill His desires for us (the plans
He had for us before we were created).
    “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.
      (Jeremiah 29:11)

Not only does He have plans for those who are followers of His Son, Jesus,
but God does four things when He gives us salvation:
    – He saves us from eternal punishment.
    – He sends the Holy Spirit to help us live to please Him.
    – He gives us a ‘spiritual gift’ to use in serving Him
       (which is part of fulfilling His plan for our lives).
    – He initiates a sanctification process of purging us of
       unrighteousness and filling the void with more righteousness.
That’s who our Heavenly Father is! He created us, He has plans for us,
and He equips us for achieving His desire for us. How will we respond?

Why would the Lord have so much compassion for those who fear Him?
It’s because He knows us better than anyone else, and even better than
we know ourselves. After all, He was the One who created every human
being from nothing, so He knows what we are capable of achieving.

Just like Adam, we were in essence formed from the dust. God breathed
life into us and has plans for each individual. Our challenge is to fear the
Lord, yield to His will for our lives, and refuse to let the world remold us.

We live in a world that transforms many people to be quite different than
God intended them to be. In a fast-paced world, there are many people who
are too preoccupied with their own desires and issues, to take the time to
consider the needs of others, but God does! He wants us to view others from
His perspective.
    Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united
    with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing
    in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my
    joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being
    one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition
    or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
    not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests
    of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same
    mindset as Christ Jesus.
    (Philippians 2:1-5)

ACTION:
Consider this – there are three of you:
    There is the person you think you are.
    There is the person others think you are.
    There is the person God knows you are,
    and who you can be through Christ.

Questions to consider:
    – Have I resisted the world’s attempts to transform me?
    – Have I remained true to the God Who created me and knows me best?
    – Have I embraced or resisted God’s sanctification efforts to transform me?
    – God gave His best (Jesus) for me; what have I given Him in appreciation?
    – How consistently do I live for the Lord?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You made me and You know me better than I know
myself. When I need compassion, You are the One Who can provide me
with exactly what I need for any situation. Thank You for being the One
I can always rely on. Forgive me if I have allowed the world to chip away
at the person You made me to be. Help me to hit ‘restart’ and be remolded
back to the person You created me to be, so I can follow Your plans for my
life. Teach me how to be less selfish and more compassionate to others.
Thank You for Your compassion toward me!”

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