God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.  Hebrews 6:10-12

I am constantly catching myself reacting negatively to things I see that are outside of what I believe that God has intended. Whether it is a person’s actions in public, a news organization reporting a crime or a social issue, or a family member or friend that does something that conflicts with my biblical world view. I have to capture my thoughts before I physically react and try to come to a place where I am able to approach the subject with compassion, or allow God to instruct me to just keep my mouth closed. I know that this is not necessarily an issue that all personality types struggle with, but I do think the concept of biblical compassion is important for all Christ-followers to understand, now more than ever.

As the author of Hebrews sets up his initial reference to the Hall of Faith, a concept illustrated by an abbreviated timeline of the founders of the Hebrew faith, he provides a very important lesson for us to consider when dealing with our fellow man. One of the important subjects in these verses is the use of “His people.” I heard Andy Stanley state very simply, “all people are His people.” He then enforced the point by explaining that Jesus died for all mankind, not just the pieces of mankind that we like. He is absolutely correct. This is an important concept to remember when we are faced with situations where we need to show compassion.

How much better, or different, would our reaction be if we took a minute to consider that a difficult coworker, a stubborn student, an estranged family member or friend, or that maniac that cut us off on the way to work was on Jesus’ heart and mind as He hung on the cross. Our initial thought would certainly rearrange as we consider that His gift of Grace is not ours alone.

Have a great week!

~Danny