13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:13-17 ( NKJV)
How many of us have been unwilling to forgive a person even one time when they sought our forgiveness? How many of us grudgingly forgave one time, but were unwilling to do so a second time? How many of us would have been willing to go Peter’s seven times, but set our limit there?
According to Mark 15:39, there was a centurion who was standing right in front of Jesus at the cross. When he saw the way Jesus took His last breath, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
Compassion is to be shown to the regulars as we might consider them. Rebellious people receive compassion because of who God is, not what they have done, because of his grace, not because they deserve it, because he is just, not because they are right. Repentant people are shown compassion because they learn to fear the LORD, usually because of the punishment put upon them; when rebellious or disobedient people return to God and cry out for deliverance, God shows them compassion. God wants to show his compassion to you.
The question for each of us is simple: To whom will you prove to be a neighbor? Will you be the hands of Jesus by being a messenger of His compassion to a world that is lost and in great need.
You and I still have the same choice before us today:
a. Either, Jesus is a complete fraud,
1) If this is true, then you and I must avoid Him at all costs.
b. Or, everything He said about Himself is true.
1) In which case He is the Son of God.
2) You and I have no other to whom we may turn for our salvation.
Which will you decide?
If you are a Christian, you have received God’s compassion and received Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins. Be motivated by God’s compassion to pass on compassion. Demonstrate God’s compassion through good deeds and teaching truth. If you are not yet a Christian, receive this information: God is compassionate. He loved you so much that he sent his Son to be a living example of his compassion. He demonstrated his love for you by sending his Son to die for your sins and your forgiveness.
God’s compassion is like that of a father for his children .“Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust” (Psalm 103:13-14).
Jesus told His brothers that His time differed from their time. They could come and go without any significance — for them any time was right. He, on the other hand, always pleased His Father, God, so His time movements were those that His Father desired.
Everybody who desires to see Jesus can see his revelation in creation, see him in his word, and see the changes in others who came to see Jesus. Jesus comes to the rescue when his believing followers “go into all the world and preach the gospel.”