WHAT’S IN YOUR WARDROBE? – Part 1 of 5

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”  (Colossians 3:12 NIV)

INTRODUCTION: Colossians 3:12 marks a turning point in Paul's letter where he moves from doctrine to daily living. After reminding believers that they have been raised with Christ and given a new identity in Him, Paul calls them to live in a manner that reflects their new nature. Because they are God's chosen, holy, and beloved people, they are to clothe themselves with Christlike qualities that demonstrate His character to the world.

COMPASSION

Frederick Buechner wrote, "Compassion is the sometimes fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy for you, too."

What is compassion? It is Jesus coming to earth to be like us, to identify with our human experience. One of His greatest desires is that we show the same compassion to others, that we show mercy and ease suffering…

Compassion doesn't come naturally to us. We are by nature self-centered. It takes time and a work of God's grace to develop compassion…

We learn compassion either by going through certain circumstances or by trying to imagine what other people are going through…

When we go through the death of a friend or family member, an illness, or a trying time, we often discover that the people who come alongside us and help the most are people who either have experienced the same difficulties or try to understand what we are going through without feeling a need to fix or make judgments.

Compassion reaches into hearts and lives, past barriers, past judgments, and brings the touch of God. 

-- William and Nancie Carmichael in “Lord Bless My Child” 

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PRAYER LEADS TO JUSTICE AND MERCY

“You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether one of your brethren or one of the aliens who is in your land within your gates. Each day you shall give him his wages, and not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and has set his heart on it; lest he cry out against you to the Lord, and it be sin to you.”  (Deuteronomy 24:14–15 NIV)

Prayer and action… can never be seen as contradictory or mutually exclusive.  Prayer without action grows in powerless pietism, and action without prayer degenerates into questionable manipulation.  If prayer leads us into a deeper unity with the compassionate Christ, it will always give rise to concrete acts of service.  And if concrete acts of service do indeed lead us to a deeper solidarity with the poor, the hungry, the sick, the dying, and the oppressed, they will always give rise to prayer.  In prayer we meet Christ, and in Him all human suffering. In service we meet people, and in them the suffering Christ. 

-- Henri J. M. Nouwen (1932-1996) in “Compassion” [1982] 

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RESPONDING WITH COMPASSION

Every time the Gospels mention that Jesus was moved with the deepest emotions or felt sorry for people, it led to His doing something -- physical or inner healing, deliverance or exorcism, feeding the hungry crowds or praying for others. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) was commended precisely because he acted. The priest and Levite, paragons of Jewish virtue, flunked the test because they didn’t do anything. Jesus ask, “Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the man who fell in with the robbers?” The answer came, “The one who treated him with compassion.” Jesus said to them, “Then go and do the same.” 

-- Brennan Manning in “Reflections for Ragamuffins”

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A HEART OF COMPASSION

“The most important [commandment],” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:29-30 NIV)

It is a sad commentary and sadder irony that Christians are often viewed as heartless.  And I think it’s because we’ve engaged our culture mind-first instead of heart-first.  Let me explain.  I believe that Scripture is the inspired Word of God, right down to the jot and tittle.  That means that even word sequence is significant.  And when Jesus reveals the four primal elements of love, the heart comes first.  I’m afraid that the Western church has tried to engage our culture mind-first instead of heart-first.  But minds often remain closed to truth until hearts have been opened by compassion.  There is certainly a place for logical, left-brained explanations of faith.  But compassion is the ultimate apologetic.  There is no defense against it. 

-- Mark Batterson in “PRIMAL: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity”

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COMPASSION AND RESTORATION

Seasons of chaos and storms are inventible in life. These seasons can make you feel as if all is lost and abandoned, because the wreckage of what is left from the storm can feel daunting and beyond repair. The beauty of Christ is that He not only is the Lord of restoration, but He is the God of making all things new in His time and work…

Throughout the scriptures it is clear that when God seeks to restore, compassion is coupled along with that intention. Jeremiah 34:26 shares, “For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.” It is God’s heart for His chosen people to not only restore, but to compassionately restore something even better than before… When the Father seeks to rebuild, it is not as we would expect. He does not merely replace the item on the shelf that was broken, He gives something better…

God is the God of restoration and compassion. Come before Him today with hands open to what He will do to not only restore, but to make better than all you could ever ask for or imagine through and by and rooted in Him, the giver of all good things. 

-- Excerpts from an article by Cally Logan entitled “A Powerful Prayer for Restoration” at crosswalk.com

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COMPASSION FOR OUR DEFENSES

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After He said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’”  (John 20:19-21 NRSV)

God does not condemn us for our wounded ability to trust.  You and I often tightly close our inner doors out of confusion, fear, and pain. God understands that our inner defenses, our emotional armor, our separating walls have grown in us for a reason.  And this God of limitless mercy will not kick down our doors, tear off our masks and armor, or go away angry.

This God, whom we see through Jesus, will continually come to us through our defensive doors, to be with us in power and comfort in our darkness.

-- Flora Slosson Wuellner in “Heart of Healing, Heart of Light”, published by The Upper Room, Nashville, TN.   Used with permission.

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HOW DO YOU SEE PEOPLE?

“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.”  (Matthew 14:14)

When Jesus looked out at the crowds interrupting His day off, He saw people who longed for God. People who had rowed three miles across the lake or walked seven miles to reach Him. People who’d made a real effort to spend their time with Him.

To Jesus, the gathered people were “like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Jesus was tired, but the people in front Him were more important than His own plans and need of rest. Jesus saw people as God saw them. How do you see people? Especially those who interrupt your “me time” or who cause you irritation or frustration on busy days?

Ask God to help you see people through His eyes. Look at people from His point of view, as sheep who need the Shepherd. Then be willing to give your time and energy to help them find Him. Move your focus off yourself and onto the needs of others… for Jesus’ sake! 

-- Anne Graham Lotz in “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus”

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THE COMPASSION OF CHRIST

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV)

The word COMPASSION comes from two Greek roots: COM meaning "with" and PASSIO meaning "to suffer". To be compassionate is to enter into the suffering of another person and share in the pain -- “to suffer with.” When the burden of pain is shared, it is lightened. Each of us can point to experiences where a friend, a loved one, a nurse, a pastor, or a counselor helped us by understanding our pain and sharing it. This is what Christ does when we are hurting: Christ enters our pain and, in effect, wipes away our tears. 

-- Adapted from “Prepare Him Room” by Robert Martin Walker

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