The most compassionate man to walk on the face of the earth was Jesus Christ. I have the perfect example yet still fall woefully short. I can be indifferent about many things and people in this life. We can be so consumed with ourselves that we miss those who are hurting all around us. Jesus did not have an apathetic bone in His body. Matthew 9:36 says, “He was moved with compassion on them.” Christ understands our suffering and he cares about our afflictions. He did not hide his human emotions at this point. Instead, Jesus showed great passion for the struggle of sinners.
 
We see countless instances in scripture where Jesus shows his colossal compassion. He had compassion on the sick (Matt. 14:14), He had compassion on the hungry (Matt. 15:32), He had compassion on those who were lost (Mark 6:34), He had compassion on those who were tempted (Heb. 4:15), and on and on we could go. As believers, we understand that God is not prone to mood swings. He is immutable or unchanging. Yet Christ, in His humanity, was moved sometimes to tears (Luke 19:41).
 
This is a picture of how concerned we should be with those around us who are helpless and harassed in our lives. What is your level of compassion on those we may deem wicked in our neighborhoods? Pastor R.T. Stringer once said, “The compassion we have (or don’t have) toward wicked people is an indication of what we truly believe about the Gospel.” You and I were once sheep without a shepherd. We were the wicked until Christ came to show unending compassion on us.
 
So now what shall we do? Do we see a harvest around us? In verse 37, Christ says, “The harvest is truly plentiful, but the laborers are few.” We should be planning for the harvest. As Jesus walked amid the crowded towns and villages of Galilee, His shepherd nature kicked in. Christ was willing to give it His all for the flock.
 
First of all, let us be moved by the needs of those around us like Jesus was. Stand up and stand out for the hurting and forgotten. God has sovereignly placed you in the midst of the weary and scattered for a reason. He has given you gifts to fulfill your role in the body of Christ. Don’t look away from them, move toward the desperate and downtrodden. Furthermore, pray for others to be moved with compassion. This is one way we can participate in the fulfillment of God’s strategy. Finally, wonder at God’s great compassion He had on you and me. Don’t ever let that truth diminish in your mind. We are truly a blessed people: we love and serve an amazingly compassionate God!

This week I want to praise God for His eternal love. I am overwhelmed by God’s concern for me this morning. Even on a Monday morning when the hot water heater goes out, He loves me. To think that the one who hung the stars in the heavens knows my name and cares about my life is unfathomable. No matter how eloquent or poetic I could possibly write, no matter how loud I could shout from the rooftops, and no matter how deep theologically I could preach from the pulpit, I could never put into words how much God loves us. In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan says this: “A wise man comes to God without saying a word and stands in awe of Him.” I stand in wonder today.
 
I stand in wonder of God’s beautiful, amazing, transforming, never-ending, and, most of all, sacrificial love. Our feelings come and go, but God’s love for us will never wax nor wane. Psalm 136 tells us to give thanks because His steadfast love endures forever. In this Psalm, we are called to praise because He is merciful, because He is good, and because of creation itself. If you know Christ, you know that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. He predestined us to adoption as sons. Love was and is the divine motive for His electing purpose.  If you know God, it is because He loves you and His love never changes. It never fluctuates.
 
Why does our love fluctuate? Are we too busy? Do we get spiritual amnesia? I think we get so caught up in the things of this life that we forget what God has done for us. We should rejoice in that He is immune to the human failing of forgetfulness. He is beyond space and time. Again, God never changes. Not only is His love steadfast, but it is also pure, it is true, and it is sacrificial. We are not deserving of this sacrificial love.
 
In Romans 5, Paul says,  “But God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We were in a sad condition, and we couldn’t help ourselves out of that condition. Not only were we helpless, but we were also ungodly. Christ died for us because we were in need of a savior that was holy. God has demonstrated on the cross an unparalleled instance of sacrificial love. 
 
Every day I want to know His love more. Every day I am in awe of the fruits of this sacrificial love. The love he demonstrated in His death. Immediately upon our believing, we are put in a state of justification and reconciliation. Knowing ourselves as much as we do, how can we not be amazed with these gifts? Live a life of redemption every day. Always remember God’s love! 

​Well, here we go! I have officially entered the blogosphere. As I meditate on how God wants to use me through this outlet, I keep coming back to the power of the Lord. So, for as long as God leads me to blog I am going to use this time to reflect and to praise Him for all the amazing things He is doing in His church, our communities and personally.
 
     The primary thing I want us to do together is ask for wonder. So many people walk in fear today.  Think to yourself what is a fear you have currently? One thing that I fear is how this blog will be received. Will some think I am not a writer, will some think this is a waste of time to read, I know some will correct my grammar. You know who you are! Instead of walking in fear today I choose to walk in wonder. Instead of worrying about what I am afraid of I am going to contemplate what I am in awe of. 
 
     In the gospel of Luke we read about a man who has been paralyzed for many years. His friends rally to his side and carry him on his bed to see Jesus. When they get to the house where Jesus is they encounter a huge crowd. That doesn’t stop them; these crazy people climb up on the roof! Now this is where I am throwing on the breaks. This is where I start to fear. Am I going to tear into this person’s roof? I am a rule follower; I am not going to break the law. Why? Fear has a grip on me. I am afraid to let go and love. I am afraid to walk in wonder of an almighty God. Thankfully these friends were not gripped by fear. They lowered him through the ceiling and Jesus tells him “Man, your sins are forgiven.” (v.20) 
 
     Today let’s stand in amazement of God. Luke 5:26 says, “And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Today we have a choice to make; you can either say, my life is awful, or you can say, man my life is interesting! Do not be paralyzed by fear. Instead of fighting and striving let go and love. What is God stirring in you? What is he asking you to do today? Matthew 7:7 says, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Ask for wonder today, seek after God today, and let Him open to you a new perspective in your life.
 
CA Wilson