Bold In Christ Ministries

Compassion by definition is a sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress with a desire to alleviate it by being moved into action by a strong desire to see a problem or situation change from unfavorable to favorable. True Compassion leads to selflessness. Compassion without action is not true compassion, for compassion desires change in any circumstance.

It pleases The Father when we go out of our way to serve others. Let us learn to move with the Heart of Jesus. He gave Himself selflessly. “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.” ‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV.‬‬

For example, let’s use the story of King Saul, David and Jonathan from the Bible. King Saul was the 1st king of Israel and Jonathan was one of his sons. David was the son of Jesse from Bethlehem. He was a shepherd and later became the anointed king of Israel to replace King Saul after he disobeyed the commandments God had given him. David was anointed by the prophet Samuel. So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah, Samuel 16:13 BSB.

In 1 Samuel 17 David had just killed Goliath the Philistine giant from Gath, and he was summoned before King Saul to present himself. Later on King Saul appointed him to lead his men into war. David was successful in all his endeavors for king Saul and his fame rose far and wide. David marched out with the army and was successful in everything Saul sent him to do. Saul put him in command of the fighting men, which pleased all the people and Saul’s servants as well, 1 Samuel 18:5 CSB.

This fame led to jealousy. King Saul grew very jealous of the growing fame and favor that surrounded David. Everyone loved him including his own son Jonathan.1 Samuel 18:8-9 NLT This made Saul very angry. “What’s this?” he said. “They credit David with ten thousand and me with only thousands. Next they’ll be making him their king!” So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. However, Jonathan’s love for David grew more and more. 1 Samuel 18:3 NLT says, And Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, because he loved him as he loved himself.

King Saul’s jealousy led him to order his soldiers to assassinate David, but Jonathan informed David of his fathers plan and even tried to speak well on behalf of David before King Saul, so as to change his mind towards him, but King Saul’s mind was made up to destroy David.

1 Samuel 19:1-3 NIV Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.”

Jonathan showed compassion towards David quite clearly as stated in the book of 1 Samuel. when King Saul looked to kill him and he told David of his father’s plans each time. David knew King Saul’s plans ahead of time because of Jonathan’s faithfulness towards him. It was because of Jonathan’s compassion that he did not sit with the information in pity, but he acted out of compassion each time to save his friend David.

The Bible says “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬. True Compassion leads to action. Having Compassion towards others is a noble thing. It means one is moved with a desire to help or change something. Whether a circumstance or situation. Humans are prone to be moved to compassion but it is increasingly reducing in today’s world. I believe it would be a better world if people loved their neighbors more than themselves. It is a great thing to have compassion towards others for it is a good thing. But compassion that does not reflect in action is not helpful to one who may need urgent help. If someone feels compassion towards others they should also move into action to help change the situation no matter how small the contribution. Galatians 5:14 BSB says The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Compassion with action is aligned with God’s heart for people, for God shows his compassion towards us by saving us from the penalty of sin. The Kingdom of God is about giving and serving. It is about sacrificial love. God himself demonstrates this through the sacrifice of His own Son Jesus Christ in Romans 5:8 and John 3:16, plus many other examples in the Bible.

“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.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬.

The creator of Heaven and Earth gave His only begotten son. Jesus said the son of man came to serve and not to be served. “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV. We also all need to seek the wellbeing of those around us, for in doing that we walk in the love of God. For if we love our neighbors we know God.‬‬