Practical Compassion

By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

– John 13:35

As Christ-followers, we're often reminded about the importance of helping our neighbors and showing compassion to strangers. Jesus taught this principle through The Good Samaritan, one of the most familiar stories of the Bible.

It’s in Luke’s gospel that we read about a traveler who was attacked by robbers and left for dead. A priest discovered the wounded man, but he elected to pass him by. Later, a Levite (a member of one of the tribes of Israel) also saw the man lying on the ground, and he too avoided him. But when a Samaritan — a member of a despised ethnic group — happened to come by, he bandaged up the injured stranger, checked him into a motel, and even prepaid the bill! 

The story’s two supposedly "good" people had a chance to help the helpless, but they went out of their way to do nothing. Instead, it was the Samaritan who found God's approval because he showed practical compassion to his neighbor (a stranger).

Although that's a lesson we all should learn and live by, helping neighbors and strangers is often a difficult proposition. We can let selfishness and pride become roadblocks. Moreover, when we avoid getting our hands dirty, we just might turn into one of those self-righteous characters in the story. And let's also consider a related question: How are we showing compassion to our fellow Christ-followers — not strangers — but rather other Believers?

The moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become a member of an enormous family-of-faith spanning race, nationality, gender, and generation. We may be very different, but it's our faith in Christ that bridges the gap. We also share a common, eternal destiny with a loving Father. And he’s at the core of our very words, thoughts, and deeds.

It’s this truth that separates Christ-followers from everyone else on earth. And since the world is watching us and questioning our motives, it’s crucial that we live out our lives accordingly.

How can we do that? It’s by celebrating each other's triumphs, mourning each other's losses, and sacrificing our own selfish interests that we exhibit much more than transformed lives and ongoing spiritual growth. Above all, we must follow Jesus' example — one where “love” is an action-word rather than a feeling — and one lived out each day through a changed heart of compassion.

The Wisdom of Kindness

I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the Lord has done for us — yes, the many good things he has done for Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses.

– Isaiah 63:7

When asked by one of the Pharisees — a strict religious sect of Jesus’ day — to name the greatest of God’s laws, Christ’s response astounded his audience with its simplicity and clarity:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment,” Jesus said. “And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

So, in just a few brief phrases, Jesus summarized the core message of the entire Old Testament: That God’s love, translated into beneficial motivations and kindness through our faith in Jesus Christ, is an unstoppable, world-changing force.

This is a difficult concept for many people because they equate the term “love” with that squishy word associated with weddings, chocolates, and Valentine’s Day. But Jesus wasn’t teaching his followers about that often fleeting, awkward emotion. As Christ-followers, God calls us to walk in step with him by putting our love into sincere, tangible action. And this can come in many widely divergent forms: from helping an elderly neighbor get their groceries to revealing God’s light to strangers through a prison ministry. It could also translate into changing a co-worker’s life by showing him or her how Jesus has changed your own. The possibilities and potential are endless.

God’s love and kindness are unfathomable, and he demonstrates that by going to any length to bring you and me into his family. Perhaps the most famous passage in the New Testament, John 3:16 proclaims that God loves the world so much that he gave his only Son (Jesus) so that those who believe in him will have eternal life. God willingly let Jesus suffer and die to pay for all our wrongdoings — past, present, and future. We rightfully deserve death because of how we’ve lived our lives. But God’s love and kindness offer joy and happiness if we’re only willing to accept it. 

The limits of human vocabulary keep us from fully describing the meaning and implications of how God cherishes his children. We can only skim the surface of this vast ocean. But perhaps it’s not so difficult. After all, it takes just three simple words from 1 John to sum it up: God is Love. And it’s when we emulate his examples of love and kindness that we turn our faith into action and transform the world one person at a time.

Training Day

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

– 1 Timothy 4:8

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the most popular attractions in the City of Brotherly Love. And it’s not all because of the facility’s impressive collection of masterpieces. Instead, tourists flock there to reenact the iconic scene from the movie Rocky, where the lead character (played by Sylvester Stallone) sprints up the museum’s 72 steps to complete the training regimen for his world championship boxing match. In January 2015, the Daily Mail website reported that three vacationers decided it was their turn to mimic The Italian Stallion. And once they had scaled the final granite step to reach the summit, they were shocked to run into no other than Sylvester Stallone himself, who was in town filming the latest Rocky sequel!

Filmed in 1976, Rocky is essentially the Old Testament story of David and Goliath — but set in run-down 1970’s Philadelphia. The protagonist (Rocky Balboa) is a washed-up, down-on-his-luck fighter who gets his once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight the reigning world heavyweight champion (Apollo Creed). The match is merely a publicity stunt concocted by Creed’s handlers, and no one gives Rocky much chance of surviving the bout’s early rounds.

But Rocky take the match — and his chances — seriously. So as he begins his training and reaches milestone after milestone, even his skeptical girlfriend, co-worker, and trainer begin to see that there just might be a glimmer of hope. The movie’s focus on Rocky’s unorthodox workouts is arguably more interesting than the dramatic — but unrealistic — blow-by-blow fight scenes. We see the blue-collar prizefighter exercising in a meat processing plant, strengthening his body by drinking raw eggs, and building his endurance by jogging through the city’s mean streets. The sequence ends as Rocky races up the museum’s steps, raises his arms in victory, and surveys his beloved hometown.

At first glance, Rocky’s lesson seems to be the ability of good to overcome evil. But the less-obvious New Testament message — revealed through the fourth chapter of 1 Timothy — is the considerable value of intense training and discipline. In fact, every Christ-follower is called to develop and use the gifts and talents God gives them to influence their community and the world. An example is our mandate to explain the basis of our faith to anyone who asks. But how can we respond without the discipline to set aside time each day for prayer, Bible reading, and study? This type of practical spiritual training is also a great way for us to grow closer to our Creator by developing the ability to hear his voice. And in turn, it helps us to discern right from wrong when faced with one of those many real-life scenarios that never seem to be black or white.

Meanwhile, watching Rocky Balboa’s long, early morning jogs through the city’s winding streets is a reminder of our need for endurance and perseverance along our spiritual journey. The road we travel as Christ-followers is anything but straight, smooth, and easy. And like the tourists who flock to The Philadelphia Museum of Art, there’s no telling who we’ll meet there along the way.

Giving Back

“But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

– Luke 22:26

Over the past several years, many well-known companies have promoted their philanthropy — also known as giving back — to help make the world a better place. For example, Coca-Cola donates at least 1% of its annual operating income toward certain causes and initiatives. Likewise, The Home Depot’s Veteran Housing Grants Program awards grants to nonprofit organizations for the construction or rehabilitation of permanent housing for veterans. And JPMorgan Chase invests millions toward animal welfare, arts and culture, civic activities, community development, education, environment, health and medical research, human and social services, plus international and religious causes. 

Giving back also goes hand-in-hand with being a Christ-follower. Indeed, we’re called to serve as Jesus’ hands and feet on earth while we wait for his return — or at least until that day when he calls us back home. That means we’re to help prepare God’s kingdom by sharing the many gifts and talents he’s given us. And it’s in this way that we become a beacon of hope amidst the utter darkness of today’s so-called enlightened society.

“Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.”

That’s how Jesus expresses this directive through Matthew’s gospel. But what sort of light is he talking about? It’s really that spark or inner power that God grants each Christ-follower for demonstrating his goodness through their words and deeds. For example, we can shine a light and serve by running a much-needed errand for an elderly neighbor. We can help clean up a neglected school or a community park — or even work in a food pantry or visit the residents of an assisted living community. Whether it’s down the street or across the globe, there’s no shortage of opportunities for giving back.

Why is the principle of giving back so important for Christ-followers?

“In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served,” Jesus explains. “He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people.” 

Christ exemplified a service-focused life. So as his modern-day disciples, let’s do the same by turning our faith into action and giving back to the ones he calls the least of these.

I Shall Return

Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have raised up a young man from among the people …”

– Psalm 89:19

March 11, 1942, was a dark day for America — as well as for the entire free world. Just three months earlier, the Japanese had launched a devastating surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The result was a crippled American Pacific fleet, 3,478 servicemen killed or wounded, plus an additional 103 civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the Japanese had trapped 85,000 American and Filipino troops on the Philippine’s Bataan Peninsula and the island fortress of Corregidor. 

Under orders from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, General Douglas MacArthur (the American commander) and his family evacuated the area for the relative safety of Australia. The thousands of troops MacArthur left behind were eventually forced to surrender to the enemy. But the general refused to turn his back on his men — or the Filipino people.

“I shall return,” MacArthur promised in his statement to the press. And on October 20, 1944, he kept that vow when he waded ashore with an invasion force at the Filipino island of Leyte. “People of the Philippines, I have returned,” MacArthur declared in an unforgettable radio broadcast.

Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, Douglas MacArthur was a warrior known for his bravery, heroism, and faithfulness. And while his promise was both historic and world-changing, it doesn’t come close the significance of another vow kept more than 2,000 years ago. 

Mankind had for centuries been enslaved by an enemy called sin, and there was no way to repay God for its many transgressions and failures. So, to keep a promise he had made at the foundation of the world, our Creator paid the enormous sin-debt himself through the sacrifice of his own son, Jesus. 

God understood that we were powerless to save ourselves from the punishment we all deserve. That’s why Jesus came to earth in the form of a helpless infant, grew up and lived a faultless, sin-free life, and was unjustly executed for crimes that he didn’t commit. One of the best-known passages of the Bible (John 3:16) summarizes this incredible act of devotion:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

It was through Jesus that God kept his pledge of forgiveness and salvation for those who ask for it in faith. And one day — quite possibly within our lifetimes — he’ll keep another long-anticipated promise when he returns to defeat Satan once and for all.

“Behold, I am coming soon!” Jesus assures us through Revelation. “Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophesy in this book ... Yes, I am coming soon.”

Truth or Consequences

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

– 2 Thessalonians 2:3 

It sounds like something found deep in the jungles of Africa, the Amazon rainforest — or maybe even on another planet. It’s a carnivorous plant called the Venus fly trap, which grows wild in the bogs of North and South Carolina. 

Venus fly traps feast on flies and other insects, and their secret lies in their attractive colors and outstretched, nectar-scented pads. When an unsuspecting victim lands on the exotic plant, sensors prepare its trap to shut. But by intelligent design, it takes more than a single motion to spring the snare. It’s only after a second sensor activation that the Venus fly trap grabs its prey within 0.1 seconds. Soon, powerful fluids fill the sprung trap, which dissolve the insect into usable nutrients. The cycle then resumes, with the plant re-opening its pads to repeat its lethal deception.

This illustrates an important lesson for Christ-followers: Although it might seem innocent at the time, we can suffer great harm from those who teach Scripture in attractive ways that are inconsistent with God’s Word. Moreover, following such doctrines can lead us astray while misdirecting seekers from the straight-and-narrow pathway toward salvation. Examples include pseudo-Christian tenets such as name-it-claim it, salvation by works, and legalism. One popular Atlanta-area pastor has also advocated unhitching the Old Testament from the Christian faith. And in recent years another familiar pastor/author has denied certain essential Christian beliefs. Declaring that “love wins” and that hell is just symbolic, he’s proclaimed that people worldwide will be saved in the end — even if they haven’t professed their faith Christ. Of course, Believers know through John 14:6 that Jesus disagrees:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

In addition to being non-biblical, such false assertions are even more dangerous because of their teachers’ popularity and honed communications skills. But the threat from bad theology is nothing new to Christ-followers. About 2,000 years ago, the apostle Paul addressed some of the false teachings of his day that were both confusing and upsetting to early believers in Jesus:

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you,” Paul wrote in Galatians 1:8, “let them be under God’s curse!”

The good news is that God’s truth is near for those who seek it. And Christ-followers have open access to it through the Bible, prayer — and even wise counsel from fellow Believers. We should therefore have less trouble than others with telling right from wrong and discerning the traps of false teachings. It’s a stark lesson that underscores the importance of biblical literacy.

If you hear or read something that seems inconsistent with Scripture, maybe it is. Check the Bible and ask a trusted Christian friend. And if the teaching is unbiblical, don’t follow it. But if it turns out to be legitimate, God could be using it to help you become a bit more like our Savior, one day at a time.

Red Alert

The Law of the Lord is a lamp, and its teachings shine brightly. Correction and self-control will lead you through life.

– Proverbs 6:23

In late 2021, the lava, rocks, and ash erupting from the Canary Island’s Cumbre Vieja volcano destroyed about 3,000 buildings, covered acres of banana plantations and vineyards, and cut off miles of roadways. The resulting billion-dollar devastation to the popular tourist spot was a reminder that life is short and that it’s God — not man — who’s in control. However, warning signs often precede such disasters. And our ability and willingness to recognize and heed them can mean the difference between life and death.

Let’s rewind back to December 2004, when an earthquake generating a powerful tsunami in the Indian and Pacific Oceans released the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs. The resulting disaster left more than 150,000 people dead or missing, with millions more homeless across 11 countries.

It’s interesting to note that the approach of this so-called Boxing Day tsunami was not totally unannounced. Many survivors remember the spectacle of the water receding from the beach to expose the seabed. Fish and boats were left stranded on the sand. And these same danger signs led the curious to their eventual doom when they ventured to the shoreline to marvel at the unusually low tide.

However, some people did recognize the warnings from the rapidly receding ocean. Survivors who understood its significance reported that they ran for high ground, rounded up family and friends, and tried to warn those who were drawn to the water's edge. The Associated Press reported that one Indian national saved 1,500 of his fellow villagers after spotting the ocean’s dramatic recession from the shoreline. And for reasons debated by scientists, many animals somehow sensed the disaster and fled in time to higher ground.

The level of death and destruction from this natural disaster was unprecedented, and only those who recognized the warnings and reacted in time lived to tell their stories. But what about the impending disasters of our own making? Is God trying to alert you and me to devastation on our personal horizons?

Maybe it’s about our marriage, kids, career … or even that risky investment. Whatever it is, it’s likely that the warnings aren’t a complete surprise. The problem is that we already know what’s bad for us (spiritually and/or physically), and it’s our nature to put off what’s unpleasant until the last minute. But sometimes we wait until it’s too late. And by then, the damage — often permanent — is done.

Our excuses are remarkably consistent. We’re either too busy or we don’t think the issue is a big deal. Likewise, we like to play God by pretending to have a handle on the situation, such as with drugs, gambling, or alcohol. But your family, friends — and most importantly, God — know otherwise.

How should we respond when God sends us a warning? The best answer is the simplest one: Face up to it NOW and deny our tendency to ignore it or wait until later.

Now’s the time to prepare for the storms of life by looking out for God’s warning signs. A little discipline and self-control today can save us from years of hurt tomorrow.