Passion for God, Compassion for man

(Prov 21:13 NLT) Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.


This morning we continue in the book of Proverbs - Walking in the Wisdom of God. In yesterday's lesson I started out by teaching on the principle of sowing and reaping and I then transitioned the message over to teaching on love. With this text I will do the same thing.

Sowing and reaping is taught all throughout the Bible. For example, in Jesus' model prayer He said, "Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us." What is the insinuation? Well, if we fail to forgive others, He will fail to forgive us. Why? Because if we sow unforgiveness we will reap just that.

If we sow mercy, people will be merciful to us; if we sow love, people will love on us; if we sow discord, we will reap an unpleasant harvest, and etc. But there is something else in this text that begs to be highlighted and that is God's compassion for the poor. If you know anything about the Word you know that God has a special place in His heart for the poor and He expects His followers (not the government) who are financially blessed to use their overflow TO BE a blessing to others.

So if the Father has blessed you to the point where you are able to BE a blessing and He gives you opportunity to do just that, but you ignore the opportunity, you resist the urging of the Holy Spirit, and you refuse to BE a blessing, then you should not be surprised when you experience the same if you ever find yourself in that situation. Further, your refusal to use your abundance TO BE a blessing may cause the favor of God to be removed from your life. If that happens, it will only be a matter of time before your abundance turns into lack.

This boils down to the love factor. God is love and if we are His children, then we are commanded and expected to operate in love. John wrote: "If anyone boasts, "I love God," and goes right on hating his brother or sister, thinking nothing of it, he is a liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he love the God he can't see? The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both" (1st John 4:20,21). That is about as plain as it can be. We ought not say that we love God if we refuse love others. Our passion for God is exemplified in our compassion for man.

Jesus is so serious about us showing compassion to the poor that He said: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory... All the nations will be gathered in His presence, and He will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats... The King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed Me. I was thirsty, and you gave Me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited Me into your home. I was naked, and you gave Me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for Me. I was in prison, and you visited Me.' "Then these righteous ones will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink? Or a stranger and show You hospitality? Or naked and give You clothing? When did we ever see You sick or in prison and visit You?' "And the King will say, 'I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these My brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!" (Mat 25:31-40).

So what does this mean to you? It means that you cannot separate passion for God from compassion for man. As a believer we are called to walk, operate, live in, and exemplify the love of God every day. You can't properly serve God without serving man!

I thank You for this revelation and I declare, by faith, that I will walk in love every day of my life. I thank You for blessing me TO BE a blessing. You give me the wisdom, grace, and favor to be able to walk in abundance, having more than enough to meet the needs of my household. So when You present me with situations to BE a blessing to others I willingly and lovingly do just that. My passion for You is exemplified in my compassion for others. You send people my way and You then use me as a conduit of Your love, grace, peace, and kindness. Thank You for using me for Your glory! In Jesus' name. Amen!