How do we grow in compassion?
Channel: Chapelstreet Church
Date: 04/04/2023

What is compassion, and how do we practice it?

Do you know which attribute is most commonly used in the New Testament to describe Jesus? Take a moment to guess before reading on. (If you already know the answer, gold star for you!)

The attribute most commonly used in the New Testament to describe Jesus is….

Compassion.

Okay, maybe that was too predictable from the title of this email. Yet consider how comforting this reality ought to be to us as sinners! The perfectly holy Savior, when he sees his children flailing in sin and suffering, isn’t filled with annoyance, bitterness, or judgment, but compassion. Jesus’ compassion is what causes him time and time again to move toward sinners, rather than away from them. Christ came to earth not because he needed us, but because he knew we needed him, and his heart longed to help and save us. Praise the Lord!

In this video, Director of Shepherd’s Heart Care Center Erin Wise shares what she’s learned from her journey towards compassion and how we can reflect this beautiful attribute of Christ in our own lives.

This is Day 17 of our 20 Days on Following Jesus series. Find the rest of the series here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0lnY-4k_FoicFce0YaSUseBovJiNQ7GO 

A Prayer for Today
Father of compassion and God of all comforts, you know all of my sins, all of my fears, all of my pain, all of my insecurities, all of my weaknesses. Thank you for noticing me. Thank you for always moving toward me in love. Thank you for seeing my needs and taking action to help me. Thank you for entering into my suffering and walking alongside me. Fill me with genuine compassion and love for those around me today. Give me opportunities to point others to Christ, who alone brings hope, salvation, and unmixed compassion. Cause me to see and cherish the heart of Christ afresh, and help me to respond in trust and obedience. I love you, Lord. Amen.

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BIBLE VERSES REFERENCED
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2 Corinthians 1:3–4 (NIV): “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 receive from God.”
Psalm 86:15 (NIV): “But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God…”
Psalm 145:8–9 (NIV): “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”
James 5:11 (NIV): “...The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”
Jeremiah 17:10 (NIV): “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

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ADDITIONAL VERSES TO EXPLORE
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Psalm 103
Luke 10:25–37
2 Corinthians 1:3–7
Colossians 3:12–17

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SONG SUGGESTIONS
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All I Have Is Christ (Sovereign Grace Music) https://youtu.be/V0vfz5lr37g 
His Mercy Is More (Matt Papa) https://youtu.be/O3ZJzs1dvcE 
And Can It Be? (The Enfield Hymn Sessions) https://youtu.be/QzQ6trg-RS4 

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