Restorers with True Compassion
Wednesday 20 February 2008 at 07:03 am “True compassion establishes a ministry that befriends the addict and hookers, invites them to change their lifestyles, and provides biblical instruction in a better way to live…”“Restorers don’t just talk of human sinfulness. They also vigorously seek to instill in people a healthy sense of self-worth based on God’s love for His creatures”
So I am in school and have a bunch of reading required of my classes. I have a book on teamwork that I have to read as a staff person at MVBC. I am reading the bible through chronologically. The Holy Spirit decides that I am not reading enough so he has placed on my heart to re-read the 36 books I have on my bookshelf that is labeled “Books every Mission Raleigh Missionary should read”, umm so not much TV or Facebook or Myspace for me in the coming year.
I have started with an amazing book by Amy L Sherman called Restorers of Hope. The two Quotes at the top of this posting is from that book.
We just took a spiritual gift test at MVBC and there were not many surprises for me in it. I scored through the roof on the gift of Mercy, very high on the gift of Service and a slight surprise when I scored third highest on the gift of Administration. I did not score as high as encourager as I have in the past so I am praying hard about that, but I digress.
Reading Dr. Sherman’s quote on “True Compassion” again really moved me. If you spend just a moment on that quote it will become clear that “true compassion” requires a relationship. The one thing I have learned is a relationship takes a commitment from both parties. It means you prioritize it and say no to a bunch of other opportunities, even to many good opportunities. Relationships don’t happen overnight, they take time and prayer and genuineness. They take love.
True Compassion means we have to realize the suffering and the emptiness of the people we are called to and then we have to do something about it by carrying the Gospel to them.
I have prayed that God show me all that I need to lay aside to form relationships to impact Raleigh for Jesus.
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. Mark 6:34 (NIV)
When Jesus arrived, he saw this huge crowd. At the sight of them, his heart broke—like sheep with no shepherd they were. He went right to work teaching them. Mark 6:34 (The Message)
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