Consideration for others is a lost art today.
We are too busy to care too deeply for anyone, not even for our self. We streak
through life fast enough to repel anyone, which we think will weigh us down.
One group of people are so focused on
themselves that they have no time for anyone else. They plan their day, follow
their agenda and fall asleep at night with little interaction with the people
who love them.
There are video games, overtime at work, television
series, sports, hobbies and extra-curricular activities, which keep us so
occupied that we take everyone else in our life for granted.
Another group of people are so wounded from
their past, that they have little emotional energy to expend on anyone else.
The cost of showing compassion is too high, and they are emotionally bankrupt.
When we see a need, which God directs us to
meet, yet we walk away, the love of God does not dwell in us (1 John 3:16-17).
We are unwilling to pay the cost of compassion.
We have another purpose for our time and money
and do not want to share with anyone else. Sadly, our joy from our own plans will
quickly fade; and since we are out of the will of God, we cannot prosper.
Jesus gave us the example of the Good
Samaritan and the father of the Prodigal Son to teach us to care about other
people and to give them a second chance (Luke 10:25-37, 15:11-32).
As we walk in the Spirit, we will give away
more and more of our self, and we will receive more of God in return (Luke
6:38). God is love, and the more love we share, the richer we enjoy God's
presence in our life (1 John 4:8).
Prayer:
Father God, remind us that negative emotions
within our soul come from the wounds in our past, placed there by the devil. They
will prevent us from showing Your love and compassion to others (Ephesians
4:26-27). Help us to seek Your truth about every satanic lie, which births
these destructive feelings within us ( www.theophostic.com ). Once we are free
from this woundedness, we are also free to receive the fruit of Your Spirit
(Galatians 5:22-23).
Remind us that whether we are preoccupied with
pain from the past or our current self-centered pursuits, obedience to You is
the only way we can reap Your rich rewards. When we empathize with the pain and
rejoice in the joy of others, and share Your kindness and mercy with our self
and them, we will truly and eternally prosper (Romans 12:15; Luke 6:35-36).
Thought for the Day:
If we say we love God, yet hate someone else,
then we are a liar and do not know God; yet, if we are truly in love with God,
we will love His children too.
- 1 John 4:20-21
