Compassion

God has me meditating on His compassion. I looked up the word compassion on Bible Gateway. There were 82 scripture passages that talk about compassion. Almost all of them were talking about God's great compassion for us. 


It is one thing to know God is compassionate. It is another thing to experience it. There are verses that talk about how Jesus had compassion and healed people. Christ had compassion on them first and then He was moved to healed them. 


The idea of compassion does not move from my head to my heart until I have experienced it.


A couple months ago, I was having lunch with a dear friend. I was relying a recent experience that had been emotionally difficult. Since there had been time to process it, I wasn't emotional in relying it to her. Yet, what brought tears to my eyes  was when I look at my friend and saw such compassion in her eyes. She did not have to say a word. She was just listening and looking at me with eyes full of compassion.


I keep thinking of that experience and I try to picture my Abba Father looking at me with His perfect compassion. His eyes are full of compassion for His beloved daughter. When I stumble and fall, He is there to pick me back up. And He is compassionate.

com·pas·sion

noun

a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who isstricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire toalleviate the suffering.

Synonyms 
 commiseration, mercy, tenderness, heart, clemency. See sympathy. 


Exodus 34:6
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.


 Nehemiah 9:17
¹⁷ They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, 


Psalm 86:15
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.


Psalm 103:3-5
³ who forgives all your sins
   and heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
   and crowns you with love and compassion,
⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
   so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.


Psalm 103:13-14
¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
   so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed,
   he remembers that we are dust.


Psalm 116:5
The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion


Isaiah 49:15
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!

26. Isaiah 51:3
    The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Isaiah 54:10
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.


Hosea 2:19
I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion.


Joel 2:13
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.


Mark 6:34
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.




2 Corinthians 1:3
 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

Zephaniah 3:17

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.


For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.


Don't be afraid. Dear Zion, don't despair. Your God is present among you, a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he'll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.


Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love; he will joy over thee with singing.


The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

May I be quick to remember

God has been showing me the importance of remembering and declaring His wonders.

"Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him, yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone of His wonderful deeds... Remember the wonders He has performed, His miracles, and the rulings He has given." Psalm 105: 1-2,5

" Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out! Tell others He has redeemed you from your enemies." Psalm 107:1-2

We are a forgetful people. How quickly we forget all that God has done. And when we forget we slip into doubt, worry, and despair. The lies of the Enemy are easy to believe. We feel the need to step up and take control. We turn away from our Savior.

Psalm 106 is a snapshot of the nation of Israel. A theme quickly emerges. See if this sounds at all familiar.

The psalm starts with "Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Who can list the glorious miracles of the Lord? Who can praise Him enough?"

However they soon became forgetful. "They soon forgot His many acts of kindness to them. Instead they rebelled against Him at the Red Sea." 

Yet He still rescues them and redeems them from their enemies. "Yet how quickly they forgot what He had done!" Rebellion. Misery. Consequences. 

Yet His unfailing love "Again and again He rescued them, but they chose to rebel against Him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin. Even so, He pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries. He remembered His covenant with them and relented because of His unfailing love."

I can be just as forgetful. I can start to doubt. I can get tired of waiting. I can become tired and discouraged. I can start to stray and turn from God. 

Yet, I also have known the exact opposite. I have known what it is like to remember. To not simply remember but to declare His mighty wonders. To myself, to others, to God. To praise Him and give Him glory for all that He has done.

"I shall remember the deeds of the Lord, Surely I will remember Your wonders of old. I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds. You way , O God, is holy. What god is like our God? You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples." Psalm 77:11-14


These verses tell us to not simply remember but to meditate. When I remember, meditate, and declare His wonders I am strengthened and encouraged. I am filled with great faith and belief in who my God is. I declare His goodness to those around me. I choose to follow Him. I walk by faith. I wait upon Him with great anticipation. I seek Him more fully.


Oh the stories I could share! And these are not simple stories. These are WOW, let me sit down and share every detail with you. Let me tell you how God did not simply answer. He answered in such a way that there was no doubt it was completely and only because of Him! 


His provision? I have stories from jobs, to housing ,to cars, to finances. I have such stories of His faithfulness.


His perfect timing? One of my favorite stories of all includes a long period of waiting.... and was I blown away in His timing. Was the waiting easy, no. Was it worth it, yes! Did I know more of God because of the waiting and seeing His answer? yes and yes!


His love. Can I even begin to tell you the many ways He shows His love to me. How He declares it to me. How He declares His love in His Word and He also speaks it very personally to my heart.


I can share stories of how I have seen His work in friends lives. I can share big stories about God but I can also share stories of how He cares about the smallest details of my day. I can share stories from the past. I can share stories from the present. How I love remembering His wonders!


And this is simply my experience. It does not even compare to what is recorded in scripture. Talk about wonders He has done. Just think of the stories that are familiar from Sunday School. Yet when you stop and mediate on them. wow, what wonders. Moses and the Red Sea, Joshua and the walls of Jericho, Father Abraham and Isaac, Daniel and the lions den, Gideon, David and Goliath.... to simply name a few.  God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 


 May I be quick to remember. 


What story do you have to share? Why not encourage yourself and someone else with His wonders.

One Word 365

Last month, I saw this on a friend's blog and instantly fell in love with the idea.

"Forget New Year’s Resolutions. Scrap the long list of goals that you won’t remember three weeks from now anyway. Choose just one word.

One word that sums up who you want to be or how you want to live or what you want to achieve by the end of 2012. 

One word that you can focus on every day, all year long.

One word can change everything."

One Word 365  http://oneword365.com/

I have always loved the beginning of a new year. I like to reflect back on the previous year and remember God's faithfulness and all that He did. I like to look forward to a fresh new year with anticipation of what He will do. I used to do New Years resolutions but over the years it went from a long list to simply one focus.

When I read about One Word, I instantly decided that this was something I wanted to do... and God quickly responded back with the word He had for me.

Beloved

That simple but that profound. Beloved. That one simple word captures my identity in Christ. I am His beloved.

"I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine" Song of Solomon


 “Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.” Deuteronomy 33:12


Recently, I was talking with a friend and remembering my first year in this area. At that time, it was one of the most difficult years of my life. Yet I wouldn't trade that year for anything. For in the midst of that year, God started to shape my identity in Him. I grew up knowing that God loved me but I had never fully believed or experienced that love. I was blown away as He tenderly spoke truth to me, tore away lies, and started to rebuild my identity with His love and truth. His love brought healing into the depths of my heart. Old wounds and hurts were torn open to be healed by His love. I was amazed at the depths of His tender love. To find what I had been longing and searching for... unconditional love and acceptance. To realize that God was my Beloved and that He searched for me. He sought after me while I was still a sinner. He bought me with a price. I was precious in His sight. I had worth and significance simply because I was His child. 


This was eight years ago. Since that time, I have begun to walk in this identity as His Beloved. I have embraced this beautiful truth and this tender love. I have allowed it to shape me. I have found such contentment, peace, and confidence in His love.


Yet it has been and continues to be a process and a journey. I look back encouraged by the journey thus far. It has been a difficult but beautiful journey. And I realize that journey is not over. He has so much further that He wants to take me. I look forward to what this year holds as He has me focus on this one word. Beloved. May it continue to shape me and define me in greater ways.

be·lov·ed

adjective

1.

greatly loved; dear to the heart.

noun

2.

a person who is greatly loved.

One Thirst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUhALGS_Shw

You say to us seek Your face
Our hearts reply, Your face we seek
And come teach us Lord, reveal Your ways
Anoint us for the greater things

We have gathered with one thirst and hunger
We’re here to drink of glory and wonder,
Here to cry out
Come and fill this place
Come and fill this place

And our single wish, our sole desire
To gaze upon Your beauty God
We will not rest, nor will we cease
Till with our eyes, Your face we see

We have gathered with one thirst and hunger
We’re here to drink of glory and wonder,
Here to cry out
Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com 
Come and fill this place, this place
Come and fill this place, this place
(repeats)

We wait for You to come and show Your glory here today.
We wait for You to come and show Your glory here today.
We wait for You to come and show Your glory here today.
We wait for You to come and show Your glory here today.
We wait for You, God we wait for You!
We wait for You, God we wait for You!

Alleluia come, Alleluia come, Alleluia come, Alleluia come!
(repeats)

We wait for You to come and show Your glory here today!
(repeats) 

What am I seeking?

The other day,  a co-worker told me that they have christian online dating services.  At the time, I simply blew off her comment.  It was in good intention. We are the same age and have been working together for the past seven years. She has been trying out different online dating services lately. She knows I'm a Christian so she was offering up a suggestion for me. While I didn't make much of the comment at the time, when I was driving home that evening her comment came back to me. I was simply processing it with God and He reminded me of the scripture He had me in this week. Psalm 105. Partically verses 3 and 4.
 "Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always."


What am I seeking? I have felt these same feelings before.  The pull to seek others things. I love running and cycling. Yet, at times when I am with others who are passionate about these sports, it can become all about becoming stronger, going further, etc. I have to remind myself of why I enjoy the sports. For me, I enjoy the time outside. I often have incredible times with God when I'm outdoors. Yes, I know it's good to push myself but once again what is my focus. What am I seeking?

These are only two examples but the concept in so many areas. There is nothing wrong with training for a race. There is nothing wrong with using an online dating service. Yet, what God has been challenging me with is the question "What are you seeking?"


For what I am seeking determines how I spend my time and energy. It will become my focus and consume my thoughts. It will determine how I spend my day. What I am seeking will soon define me.  As I am writing this, the lyrics from the song I am listening to speaks to this.

"Come to Me. I'm all you need. Come to Me, I'm your everything. Come to Me I'm all you need. Come to Me, I'm your everything. Don't look to the right or to the left, keep your eyes on Me. You will not be shaken or moved. Just come to Me, come to Me, I'm all you need."


It can be so easy to start seeking other things besides Christ yet anything else leaves me dry and empty. As exciting as it may seem or as much as the world would value it, it does not satisfy.

"Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always."


Oh, how my heart desires to seek His face. For there is JOY in HIs presence. He alone is all I need. He fulfulls me. He defines me. I am His beloved. I can find rest and peace in His presence. I am defined as His child. I am accepted and loved beyond measure. When I seek Him, I am blessed. I am encouraged by His truth. I am enthralled by His presence. I am challenged, renewed, restored, and am left wanting more of Him.  HIs strength is perfect. My heart is intuned to His and ready to listen and follow His voice. Why, do I all such distractions pull me from Him? Why do I start looking elsewhere? Why do I allow culture to pull me in different directions? Oh, may I seek more of HIM!

"O my heart, He has said, ' Seek My face.' Your face, Lord, I will seek" Psalm 27:8