Compassion: 30 Days of HeartworkSample

Faith Without Actions

HEART //

Let’s imagine we have a friend who calls himself a musician. He is constantly talking about music. He goes to concerts almost every week and frequently reads magazines and articles explaining how to be a great musician. But even after years of knowing him, we’d never actually seen him play an instrument. We may really start questioning if he is a musician at all. Though he knows all about music, may be greatly educated and enjoy listening to other people play, he wouldn’t really be defined as a musician because he does not create music himself.

This is the trap that many of us fall into as we call ourselves Christ-followers. We are constantly learning more about God by going to church, listening to sermons, and reading our Bibles. But if we never actually do what Christ did, then how will people know that we are actually His followers? In order to live on-mission for Christ, we have to get past mere talk and knowledge, and be moved to action. We cannot say we love the lost or we care for the poor, but then do nothing about it. 

WORK //

This week we encourage you to put your faith into action by empathizing with the poor and speaking up on their behalf. The burden of poverty, hunger and fear can be so heavy. You heard about this in your Family Night, so if you haven’t yet, get a sandbag at your local hardware store or a large bag of beans or rice, or a jug of water. Carry it with you wherever you go, in solidarity, and as a reminder, maybe for a day or the whole week. Many children in developing nations spend hours each day walking to get food or water and miss out on the opportunity to go to school. As you do this, think about what it would be like to spend each day walking miles carrying food or water just to be able to survive. This will give you a great opportunity to be a voice on their behalf when others ask what you are doing.

If you had to walk several hours just to get water or food, how would that affect your life? What would change in your day-to-day routine? 

Watch this video of Grace, a 9-year-old girl who hosted a Compassion Sunday on her own!