Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Living God this morning with a Teachable Heart and a Spirit in need of Refreshment, and that’s precisely what I Received straight from the Throne of my Mighty God. If I’m going to have a Teachable Heart, then I need to be ready, willing, and able to take Correction from my amazing God, amen? I’ve been in agony over the trials of someone in my Life and I’ve gone to the Throne on their behalf countless times. But what He showed this Teachable Vessel this morning, is that my Heart needs to be purified and Compassion needs to replace my desire for things to be different. Compassion isn’t just feeling sorry for someone, Compassion is feeling pain WITH them and it can’t just be brushed away to go tend to everyday life. So, this morning was Recharging time with my God to ready myself for this New Day and for whatever He has in store for me so that my Heart is strong enough for the Journey. Without Him, my Compassion would dim, and without Him, I couldn’t carry the burdens at all. Isn’t that the way it is for you too?

It can be so easy to hear about the suffering of someone else and say “I’ll be praying for you” without having heartfelt Compassion at all. Some people think that a whispered prayer once or twice and they’ve fulfilled their duty to Pray. No doubt those prayers are Treasured in the Heavens just like all the rest, and the Living God doesn’t have a “quota” on prayers before He’s willing to Answer, but when the Heart is moved with Compassion it’s not enough to whisper a prayer here and there. Christ-like Compassion will drive us into Action and onto our knees faster than we can say “Amen” because we feel their pain and suffering. Countless times Christ was “moved with Compassion” and He took care of Business every time. He didn’t just pause to whisper a prayer once or twice…that’s not enough for a Heart filled Compassion. I’m pretty sure Christ wouldn’t have rested unless He filled the need because that’s what Compassion does to a soul. That word for “moved” describes a physical response to the pain of another…Christ felt it deep within His gut where real Compassion lives and THAT’S the kind of Compassion He wants His people to have too!

It wasn’t always some horrific tragedy or disease that caused Christ to be “moved with compassion.” When He looked out into a crowd of thousands of people who had gathered to hear Him teach, Christ was moved with Compassion as He considered that they’d been tuned in all day for Spiritual food but had no food for their physical needs. He could so easily have ignored something as simple as growling stomachs during a long “church meeting”, but He was MOVED with Compassion for their needs, and when you’ve been moved like that, NOT filling the need is NOT an Option. It’s beautiful to consider all the miracles Christ performed because He was MOVED with Compassion and it’s overwhelming to see that when Compassion like that kicks-in MIRACLES begin to happen. Christ-like Compassion coupled with the Belief that the same God that performed miracle after miracle so long ago STILL performs them today is the difference between a whispered prayer here and there and a Heart MOVED into action on behalf of someone else!

I’ve shed many tears over this situation and I know each one has been stored in a jar because He loves me…and He hears me. I’ve prayed LOTS of prayers over this situation and I know that each one is like incense in Heaven to Him because He loves me and He hears me. But I’ve also shaken my fist in “righteous indignation” as I watched circumstances that could so easily be remedied with Love instead be sprinkled with hate. I’ve watched with a Heart ready to burst with Compassion as the love that is supposed to keep no record of wrongs keeps throwing salt onto deep wounds…and then I repent so that I can make my way to Heartfelt Compassion all over again instead. It’s sometimes Lather, Rinse, Repeat with the human Heart with each step drawing us closer to Him IF WE HAVE a Teachable Heart. The important thing is to be more focused on our Relationship with the Living God than we are on the circumstances of others that are sometimes unbearable to watch. But I can’t “fix” the circumstances, I can only fix myself. That is the Key to Spiritual Maturity.

My Heart is inclined toward the ones I know, but I’ve shed plenty of tears for strangers too. I don’t have to carry their burdens, that’s for sure…but a Compassionate Heart drives me into action and it drives me to my knees for friends and total strangers alike. If I were to define the Compassion of Christ – I think it would look something like that.

How about you?