Purpose




Thoughts of a messed up Christian saved by God's grace





Thursday, May 18, 2017

Missing: Compassion

It seems many Christians are missing the emotion of compassion nowadays. Oh, we have it towards people we choose to, but it fizzles out in other areas.

  I can still remember sitting in a church service several years back when the speaker mentioned homosexuality. A friend of mine who had no clue I dealt with that issue, leaned up and said "they just need to hang all of those perverts." I have a devotional where the author referred to something a friend of his said. This friend said when he saw the death of a single younger man in the obituaries with no cause of death given, he figured it was from AIDS and rejoiced that another gay guy got what he deserved.

 More recently, I have heard other comments about gay men getting AIDS and deserving it, "junkies" overdosing and we are better off without them, and other similar comments......from Christians. When it comes to people we deem undesirable, we lose our compassion, and lose our aim and desire to be like Jesus.

 I worked as a greeter in the Emergency Department for over three years. In that time, I saw a lot of people come through with drug addictions. I watched families fall apart as they dealt with the death of a loved one taken too soon by their addiction. Yes, it was stupid for the person to get started on drugs, but it is still sad when anyone ruins their life and/or dies because of drugs.

 And yet many Christians call these people junkies and say we are better off when they die from their addiction.

  I believe if Jesus were here doing His earthly ministry in 2017, He would have an entirely different attitude towards those we don't deem worthy of compassion. He'd be hanging out with gay people, trying to win them to Him.....even the ones with AIDS. He'd be loving the drug addicts and offering them freedom through Him.

 He would be hanging out with the undesirable people so many Christians don't have time for. He'd be loving, showing compassion, and being a friend to the friendless. The Jesus of the Bible would never rejoice in the deaths of anyone, no matter their lifestyle or addictions.

 If we are to be like Jesus, we need to have compassion for all.

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