Random Acts of Compassion

Psalm 119:156 - "Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to your laws."

There's been a lot of talk in recent years about random acts of kindness. Steve Sjogren's tremendous book, Conspiracy of Kindness, put servant evangelism on the heart of churches all over the world. The feature film, Pay It Forward, made everyone watching it want to do something nice in the life of someone else. So, what if we added to the random acts of kindness and started showing random acts of compassion. The words kindness and compassion are similar, but they aren't exactly the same thing. Compassion carries with it the idea that unmerited favor is being granted on behalf of someone else. In fact, compassion is often times most effective when it is given to someone that no one else cares to offer compassion to.

I wonder who it is in your life that is most in need of compassion tonight. Isn't it interesting that Christians, to whom so much compassion has been shown by God, are often times seen not as agents of compassion, but as agents of judgment. Perhaps we need to rethink that strategy. Maybe it's time for us to be the first to extend the arms of grace to the person whose life has been reduced to a series of poor decisions. I love when I see a person showing compassion to someone else. And, when I don't deserve grace, I am blown away at the arms of compassion. So, today, why not try to find someone that you can show a random, or not-so-random act of compassion to? And, may God use you to be a blessing in their life.

Dear God,

You have shown us great compassion. Rise up an army of compassionate warriors who will take to the streets and show love and grace. Help us to show people Who Jesus is, because of what they see in us.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.