Is Our Compassion Abundant?

Articles

Ross Triplett
06/27/21 - Articles

You may recall the accusation Satan made against Job and all humanity, when he said, “Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life” (Job 2:4). The innate nature of man to retain his physical life, at all cost, is one to which we can all relate. David once said, “Jehovah, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; let me know how frail I am” (Psalms 39:4).

Life, which is described as “a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14), becomes the focus of our ambitions and that for which we struggle to maintain, though we know, as did the “Preacher,” “There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8).

As children of God, however, we understand there is something of greater importance: Hebrews 11:35 brings us to the reality that we may be called upon to endure the afflictions of life due to our faith, as it speaks that “Women received their dead by a resurrection: and others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection.”

For this cause, a great deal of emphasis is placed upon the seeking of our spiritual well-being, studying the word of God, and assembling with the saints. All of these are important to the servant of God, which is all well and proper as one presents his/her body as “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service” (Romans 12:1).

But though we focus on these things and seek to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savor Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18), let us not lose sight of the physical realm within which we dwell. The Lord tells us, “While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). During this time we have a responsibility to heed to the physical as well as the spiritual. The truth of this is seen in that our eternal condition will be greatly affected by how we respond, not only to our own lives, but also to those about us. Jesus said, “But when the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me,” and in like manner, “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry, and ye did not give me to eat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not” (Matthew 25:31-46).

The need for compassion is abundant among our own. Opportunities to assist the broken hearted, the sick, the hungry, and the naked abound. The question is: Are we doing so?

Mankind has, since the time the devil began his work, suffered from the everyday maladies of life. They have sought relief through idolatry and witchcraft; by following the stars and sorcery.

We know our life is short and we all shall suffer the maladies of life in one fashion or another, either being lost or losing our loved ones to the grave. But, while we are here, we can offer our assistance to those who are so suffering, and in so doing, lift up the hands that hang down, and help them keep focused on the city whose builder and maker is God. Ross Triplett, Sr.