Our church, Savannah Christian, did a series called Choose Compassion at the beginning of the year. WOW, was it such a powerful message series. There are so many situations where we can get out of choosing compassion.
First off it is what Jesus did and we are supposed to be following him. I hear so many Christians say they have to stand up and be bold but what they do not realize is this isn’t an either or thing. We are to stand boldly with love and compassion.
If you are only bold with no compassion then you are just a bully and if you show all compassion with no boldness then you sugarcoat God’s message. I believe that there is a way to both live life with boldness while also showing compassion.
Very few people do. Usually most people show one or the other. They may throw the bible at the lost and just condemn everything they do. They feel that unless they tell them where they are going that they aren’t doing God’s work.
I am sure you see these people all the time. These are the people who give all Christians a bad name. You see them holding huge crosses at events where there is nothing but drunkeness and just condemning everyone left and right.
People see this and it just looks like we are very intolerant people and that is not where Jesus stood. He always showed compassion in everything he did even when he had to be bold. As you read the bible you realize that Jesus knew how to balance the two.
Imagine what would happen at the next big event if the same people or a group of people just decided to hold up a sign that read, do you need a prayer? And that was it? I bet you would see people line up to get you to pray with them. I also bet you would save more lives doing this and God would get so much more glory.
Now to the other side of the fence, showing nothing but compassion with no boldness usually leads to a sugarcoated message. How many times do you hear a message preached where it sounds like the preacher is just not preaching the word so that he will be liked or so that people will come to his church?
You may know Christians who are so afraid to take a stand that they live a standard like everyone else. As Christians, we aren’t supposed to fit in this world but stand out. We are not called to do what the world does but to stand up for what’s right in God’s eyes.
Remember what is right in society’s eyes is not usually what is right in God’s eyes. There is a HUGE difference. Sometimes you need to show people love but others times they need a kick in the butt!
So are you ready to show boldness with love? I know you can change how you have been doing things because God calls us to be different in all ways. Start today by showing the compassion of Jesus and also his strength.
Ask God to give you the wisdom you need to know when to show more compassion than boldness and when you should show more boldness than compassion. Ask him to give you strength when you need boldness and to give you humility when you need compassion. Ask him to guide you to people who need what you have and that is God’s JOY!
Be Inspired or Be Left Behind!
Chris Benton