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We serve the compassionate God, and it's no surprise that His Son displayed great love. He went from town to town healing people and sharing the good word that grace was available from a loving God. Matthew 9:36-38 - When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Jesus saw people and had compassion for them. He understood their foundational problem - the devil was harassing them, making them helpless. They were bogged down with illnesses in their bodies and minds that kept them from God's promise of fullness of life. And worse, they lacked the knowledge of God's word, which could free them (Hosea 4:6). In addition, their shepherds, religious leaders, and teachers were unfortunately failing to keep adequate watch of them.
The people in question were more religiously zealous than the average current Christian. They frequently attended their synagogues, performed religious rites, fasted, and observed the Sabbath strictly. And yet, Jesus saw harassed and helpless people whose circumstances caused him to have deep compassion for them. He couldn't ignore their plight. He had to take the time to teach them and bring them closer to the Lord.
We are called to emulate our Savior, so we too must have compassion for others. We who know the love of the Father, and the guidance of His Word and Spirit, must understand that no matter the challenges we face, billions are yet to encounter Jesus Christ truly. This includes our fellow churchgoers and family members. We show them compassion by lovingly sharing the good news about God's grace through our deeds and words. Financially supporting the individuals and organizations who do this is another option. We must increasingly intercede for the helpless and suffering, pleading to God to ease their plight. We should also fill more stomachs, clothe the needy, and be the godly voice for the oppressed and voiceless.
It is easy to say we don't have the funds or the time. However, God has an interesting way of filling pockets when the funds will be used for His purposes. And regarding time, we have more time than we realize. We all find time for the things that are a priority, many of which are insignificant when we think about them. We can take time from those activities to express the compassion of Jesus and the love of God to others. When we desire to be more compassionate and loving, the Lord will work on the details and make it possible for us to accomplish this goal. He sent us the Holy Spirit to help us become more pleasing to Him and is therefore responsible for making it happen. All we have to do is let Him have His way in us.
Plus, we must do what the Savior instructed and "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:38). Thus, we need to pray for more servant field workers to spread His word and free others from bondage through Jesus. Note, we shouldn't be content to leave the heavy lifting to others. Every believer is a Kingdom Ambassador called to make disciples by teaching others about Him and His teachings (Matthew 28:19-20). Therefore, we should be ready to be those the Lord of the harvest will send to do His will in our homes, workplaces, neighborhoods, and around the globe.
The Lord will help us to do more than what we've done by His grace. He will help us to lean on Him for strength and wisdom so we can express godly compassion and love. As the word states in Galatians 6:9 - Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. IJMN Amen.
To learn more, please read:
CLOSING PRAYER
The Grace of the Lord be upon you
God will beautify every pain, every scar
Everywhere you turn, blessings
You have more than enough
In God's plan, see your dreams come through
He is more than enough
This I pray
I pray
For you
This I pray
I pray
For you
The peace that overshadows fear
Is all over you
You're on God's mind every day and night
God's gripped you tight
This I pray
I pray
For you
This I pray
I pray
For you
LAST 10 MINUTES
We usually pray for ourselves at this point of the fellowship, but I recommend that we each think about how we can show more compassion to others today.
Can we do something we don't usually do, or don't do enough, to show love to somebody?
Is there someone we're supposed to be praying for but keep slacking? Is there someone who needs encouragement that we should reach out to?
I'm a big proponent of asking the Lord for direction on everything, so I want to encourage you to prayerfully ask God to show you how to express His compassion and love today. Pay attention and watch, He'll direct you to the person, group, or issue He wants you to focus on.
God bless you.
Lord God, You are our great and Mighty King. Thank You for being the God who hears and answers us.
Zechariah 9:8 - But I will encamp at my temple to guard it against marauding forces. Never again will an oppressor overrun my people, for now I am keeping watch.
Lord, Your temple is the physical bodies of Your people. With that in mind, I call on You to stand and contend with those who contend with Your own. The devil and its minions seeking to steal, kill, and destroy the mental peace of Your people are hereby destroyed by the blood and name of Jesus.
Every altar that created a legal right is hereby broken and the fire of the Lord sets it aflame, IJN, Amen.
I decree that Christ died to set the captives free, and he who the Son sets free is free indeed.
Therefore, the devil has no legal ground to pester, harass, disturb, deceive, and bother those who are Your own.
I pray that Your people will stand in the knowledge that they are free and not fall for the lies of the enemy to the contrary. I pray that they will resist satan with Your word, and witness their triumph over the accuser of their souls. For it is written in Revelation 12:11 - They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. The blood, their testimony of what You have done and are doing, and the knowledge that their lives are secured in Christ bring great victory and always will.
IJN, Amen!!!
Awesome God, we come to You on behalf of those who are hurting. Father, Your Son Jesus died to set the captives free and we know that hurt and pain are not of You. Set the captives free oh Lord. Give Your Spirit to the weary and brokenhearted. Heal them of that which has fractured them. Patch up the broken spaces, fill the hollow points in them. Give them Your love and joy that it overwhelm and spread within them. Touch hearts and minds, Jehovah Rapha.
Move in an unexpected way for our prayer subjects, oh Lord. So many are desperate for anything but don't realize You are the only solution. We decree that the scales fall from their eyes. The chains and shackles break. Their bowed heads be lifted to witness the freedom You have for them and claim it for themselves.
Thank You oh gracious King, IJN, Amen.
From JIR - I pray for the terminally ill and sick. Please Lord place Your healing hands upon them and remove whatever illnesses and sicknesses are ailing them. Please bless them with compassionate doctors and surgeons. Please bless those doctors and surgeons with wisdom and knowledge, a supportive team, sturdy hands and sharp eyes to provide their patients with the treatments and surgery needed to heal them. Please bless those affected by severe conditions to be able to live full lives, put their illnesses behind them and give You all the glory. IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - I pray for the young children in this generation. I pray Lord that You nurture them and guide and protect them from any adversity they may face. I pray that You take them in the palm of Your hand and give them peace and comfort when they encounter challenges. I pray that You raise them up and stir their hearts to turn to You, seek You, praise You and worship You. I pray that Your anointing is so strong in their lives that through the Holy Spirit they influence those around them to turn to You. IJMN. Amen.
Great God, the Sovereign Lord, I exalt You. For You are King of kings and Lord of lords. The Upright One who is forever steadfast and faithful.
Lord, You have promised in Your word to not deprive Your righteous ones of any good thing. (Psalm 84:11).
As such, I come before You today praying for Your daughters in whom You have planted the seed of a godly marriage and family. Lord, it is from You the families of the world originate so it is to You I lift this issue (Ephesians 3:15).
The Savior came to destroy the works of satan and thus every stumbling block and obstacle erected by the devil against Your purpose for these women is dismantled and destroyed, IJMN Amen (1 John 3:8).
As to any obstacle created by the choices of these women, I plead for Your compassion and mercy in accord with Exodus 33:19. You are the God for whom nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). Please show to Your children the changes they need to make in order to receive this blessing into their lives (Psalm 81:8). May they listen and obey You, IJMN Amen.
Father, I thank You for being He who has called His people to spread the Gospel of Christ. Thank You for providing the capacity and ability to do just that by Your grace and loving-kindness.
Lord, I want to pray for persecuted Christians.
It is easy to think that it was only the believers of the early church that faced persecution, but even in this day and age Your people are maltreated and in some cases killed around the world because they have chosen to stand firm in the faith of You.
God, I plead the blood of Jesus upon those who are in dangerous locations. I pray that You will surround them with Your horses and chariots of fire. I pray that their eyes will open, like those of Elisha's servant, to see that those who are with them are more than those who stand against them. I pray that all who come seeking to harm your people will experience the fate of the army that came to kill Elisha. Let them lose their sight and have bigger problems to deal with, IJMN, Amen.
From JIR - I pray for those in churches who are spiritually blind. Lord, I pray that You open their eyes so that they see things with a sober and clear mind and understanding. I pray that You stir their hearts to seek You and turn to You whole heartedly. I pray that Your increase their faith and belief in You and open their hearts to You. I pray that You wrap them in Your love and they feel Your presence so strongly that they become a new creature to walk in the calling that You have on their lives. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 KJV. IJMN. Amen.
PRAYER TIME
We're talking about compassion, guys, so please pray for as many people as you can.
Intercession is a form of compassionate expression. It demonstrates love, and we've learned that loving Jesus is an action not an emotion. Let's do it today.
From JIR -
From JIR - Lord, thank You for being my Rock and my Refuge. Thank You for being my ever-present help. You are always here with me and I give thanks that I have You to comfort and love me. I don’t know what I would do without You and I thank You that I would never have to know. I render my heart to You Lord. Have Your way with me. I am Yours. I yield and submit to You. I bow at Your feet and before Your throne with reverence and gratefulness. You are all I need. Thank You Lord. IJMN. Amen.
The Am that I Am. The One and Only true living God. You give me strength. You are loving, compassionate, gracious, merciful, just in all of Your ways. I can’t articulate all of Your greatness. It is impossible for anyone to. I am grateful that You are my God. What an honor and privilege to call You God. I will worship and praise You all the days of my life. I am nothing without You. Thank You Almighty God. You are good. IJMN. Amen.
Thank You LORD! I serve a VERY BIG GOD! I pour out my praises! IJMN. Amen!
My Great Daddy! You whose love is everlasting. God of Suddenly. God of Strategy. God, my Defender. The God who carries me. He who loves me.
Almighty King, You are also my Judge and Lawgiver. Thank You for being my everything.
Steadfast God. You are great and greatly to be praised.
Revealer of Mysteries. Thank You for keeping Your word to alert Your people as to what is to come.
Eternal God. Thank You that You will never die and I can trust in You being God for all time.
Glory be to Your Holy Name!!
Revelation 7:12 - Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen (KJV).
Hallelujah!
One thing I know
For sure
GOD DID THAT!!!
Lord, I just want to thank You for all You've been doing in my life.
I've seen You do incredible things, and I'm grateful for all You've allowed me to witness of Your power.
Thank You God, for taking care of everything!
Choose Compassion
PRAISE TIME
We can love others because God loved us first. So, let's pour out our love and appreciation to the One who is compassionate and loving.
Let us honor our great King!
To the One who sees all
El Roi
You see me
...
It will be okay
El Roi
You see me
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
From JIR - Thank You Lord for breathing life into us this morning. Without You we would not be here. We are grateful for Your mercy and grace and love and compassion. Thank You for guiding us in here this morning. All glory is Yours and You alone are worthy of all praise. We thank You. IJMN. Amen.
Thanks for today’s message sis @FFJ. Thank you for covering a robust list and including examples of how we can show compassion to others. The Lord has been working on me for a while in this area and although I have come a long way by His grace, this message makes me realize that I still have a ways to go.
In this age of social media and now the introduction of AI, we have become numb to others and self absorbed with ourselves. I find that we are losing compassion for others and forgetting what really matters. Social media has us like zombies and AI is now being used to think and act for us which diminishes and makes us lose focus on the genuine compassion we should have for others. SM and AI are tools designed by the devil to make us lose sight of what is pleasing to God, but that is a different story.
We as Christians have a responsibility to not be of this world. Which makes me think, If we are like those in this world how can we spread the Gospel and be compassionate when we have lost our bearings and are emulating the same actions as everyone else? That is contrary to God.
Compassion is of God and I pray that we don’t lose focus of the importance of compassion and that we as Christians do our due diligence to help those in need with spiritual guidance or financial support or even volunteering for those who need us. The list of things that sis @FFJ has highlighted really puts things into perspective and in addition to the Holy Spirit and the Bible, helps me to see where I need to grow in compassion for others. I thank the Lord for this message and pray that He helps us all in getting where we need to be when it comes to compassion. IJMN. We are a reflection of Christ and should yearn to emulate His ways.
From PPYT - These lines right here spoke to me, so impactful:
Thank you so much for sharing as always. I pray that everyone has an amazing day
From M22 - Thank you for another beautiful fellowship day Abba! We give you all the glory for waking us up this morning. It is not by our might not by our power we are alive to see today, it is by your infinite grace. Father Lord I pray that you will continue to rest your hand of compassion and love on this community IJMN Amen.
Thank you for today's word sis @FFJ . God is our Potter and we are his precious clay. I am grateful that he constantly shapes and molds us to reflect his values towards others. I pray that our lives will always radiate God's compassion and grace in our interactions with others. God bless you all IJMN Amen
Some people believe in the finer things
That money’s gonna set them free
Some people believe in kings and queens
Thinking that they can fix everything
As for me and where I stand
I put all my faith above
All my hope is in the One
Who’s worthy of all my trust
I believe in Jesus
I believe every word He said
I believe He’s with me
He’s the reason for every breath
Even if I stand alone
I’ll let the whole world know
I believe in Jesus
ALTAR CALL
Did you know a price was paid to set you free from everything that keeps you bound?
Many people have nice cars and money in the bank, but are miserable. Some have less money in the bank, but intruding thoughts keep them up at night. Could it be healing you need? What about the resolution of some other problem that's beyond you? What is stealing your peace?
Jesus is the answer to every problem.
Learn more about the uneven exchange and how to take advantage of it below -
If you watched the video to the end and said that prayer, welcome to being a child of God! I pray you receive the Holy Spirit and are led in the ways of the Lord. Be sure to let me know you said the prayer, and I'll send you more materials so you can grow as a new creature! Congrats and God bless you!