Life to the FullSample

There’s a World Outside Your Window

‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God’ is how God’s character is described in Exodus 34:6. God sees the world full of injustice and He has compassion over His creation and commands us to do likewise - ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18). How can we love our neighbours and have compassion on those around us?

Jesus came into our world to selflessly serve others and in Luke 10:25-37, He tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. It’s a great example of how to live like Jesus, loving and serving others. In the parable, a priest and a Levite pass by a man who has been robbed, and they don’t stop to help him. Often we see similar situations in our lives when someone has been treated unfairly, ignored or left out. Maybe someone at school who no one talks to, or the homeless person you see on the street.

It can be easy to find ourselves judging or treating others a certain way as well. Sometimes it’s challenging to show compassion, perhaps because you have been hurt by that person, or it’s easier to turn a blind eye.

However, Jesus was compassionate to everybody and He chose to have compassion on us when He died on the cross for us. He then rose again to break the power of sin and injustice in the world. The Good Samaritan ‘saw the man and he took pity on him’ (Luke 10:33). He saw the world through the eyes of Jesus and had compassion on the man. Who could you show compassion to?

The Samaritan used what he had to go the extra mile to look after the man - ‘he bandaged his wounds … put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn … he took out two denarii (which are Roman coins) and gave them to the innkeeper … then he reimbursed him for any extra expense’ (Luke 10:34-35). This is what it looks like to love your neighbour. What could you use to be generous and compassionate to others? When we show compassion, we can do far more than we imagine because we have the power of Jesus with us.

Questions

Thinking about your community, where can you show compassion to your neighbours and make a difference?

Prayer

Thank You, Jesus, that You have compassion on us and love us so much that You went through suffering and death. We ask that we can show this compassion and love to those around us. Help us to be more like You, Jesus.

Amen.