Article by Dr. Les Hollon, Pastor, Trinity Baptist Church
Living in a way that makes the world a better place is a desire that beats inside everyone at some time in our lives. The compassion of Jesus makes it possible for us to be change agents for good, a gospel kind of goodness.
Jesus’ compassion is a profoundly simple source. He loves us. He wants the best for us. He wants us to want the best and to do the best for other people.
Jesus makes this best possible by loving us in a way that we can also love each other. Through this love we are bonded together. As our lives are transformed, the setting in which we live our lives (typically called society/culture) are affected by our personal transformation. This is why Jesus calls us “salt of the earth” and “light of the world.”
Jesus’ compassion contains the DNA to make everyone’s life better, which is why He holds us accountable for what we do with His love.
Consequently, at the end of His earthly life, He told a parable (Matthew 25: 31-46) by which we can better prepare for the end of our lives. After our physical death, when we face Jesus, He will make it clear how we did or did not believe in Him; how we trust Him for salvation; how we know that His grace was the only way our lives could hold together and have meaning. The litmus test is by how we live compassionately.
This kind of compassion shows up in everyday life. As we see someone in need, and we have the resources to meet that person’s need, we are to meet it.
The compassion need may be met with time by visiting with people in a way that they no longer feel alone in the world. The compassion need may be met with gifts like clothes, so they are not naked in a lusting world. The compassion need may be met with service like sharing food with another hungry person, so they know we know their lives are as important as our lives. The compassion need may be met with a touch to person’s faces while giving them water to quench their thirst, so they know the acceptance of not being untouchable. The compassion need may be words spoken to their aching soul, so they hear the message which enables them to understand why these acts of love are being done.
I am not sure what messages from your past replay in your life, but I am sure there is something going on from your past which stirs in your present life. Jesus’ words from Matthew 25 stir in our midst. Through this message Jesus emphatically got the word out … Who you are and what you do matters. Now understand this clearly. Your life matters to you, to others, and to God. Now be the person you are created to be and do what he’s called you to do. Your future and the future of others depend on it.
Jesus’ compassion becomes the connecting force by which we can know how to act on the importance of our lives. God’s plans include us but they are not just about us.
Compassion is the way of knowing the joy of sharing a life of love with everyone we meet. This is why Jesus culminated the last parable He ever told with the compelling words, “when you did it for the least of these you did it unto me.”
Together in the purpose of building a more just society through the compassion of Jesus,
Pastor Les
“Make a gift of your life and lift all mankind by being kind, considerate, forgiving, and compassionate at all times, in all places, and under all conditions, with everyone as well as yourself. This is the greatest gift anyone can give.”
-David R. Hawkins
“We change the world not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become.”
-David R. Hawkins
This article was written by Les Hollon, Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church. For more information about how God works in your life, or to contact Dr. Hollon, click over to Trinity Baptist Church.
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Article By Kevin L. DeWitt
How do you give someone criticism without hurting their feelings or making them angry? It is possible for people to receive criticism without having their feelings hurt or becoming incensed? How can we give and take criticism in a kind way? This is a difficult suggestion for most people. But in truth it is possible to give criticism with kindness and have a decent chance of having it received constructively.
It seems most of us have a hard time accepting criticism without getting hurt or angry or defensive … and just as many of us have a hard time giving criticism without making others hurt or angry or defensive. Perhaps one key is why we criticize … do we criticize out of caring and concern for the other person … or do we criticize out of retribution and one-upmanship?
Let’s look at how to give criticism with kindness, so that the person who receives it is more likely to take it well. We’ll also look at why criticism is often the wrong approach to take: positive suggestions are even better. Read More »
Article by Jennifer Snelling
There are all kinds of ways to give, and they don’t necessarily have to be monetary. Here are seven simple and inexpensive ways to make you feel like you’ve helped someone or improved the world, without traveling to exotic places or spending a lot of money.
The Collection Jar. “Every penny counts.” The old adage is one-hundred-percent true! Everywhere you look there are boxes, buckets and jars for all sorts of causes – from the corporate-sponsored shelter to the family down the street that needs extra help for medical expenses. All they are asking for is some spare change. They KNOW that every penny counts. One penny each from 100 hundred people is one dollar. There are over 300 million people living in the United States alone. It would take far less than one percent of the population giving only one penny each to raise over $100,000. Think about how much even one nickel, dime, quarter, or dollar could help. There is a reason organizations hold out boots in front of the fire department, or ring the bell next to that bucket. Almost every checkout line and fast-food restaurant has a jar of some kind to raise money for charity. Pick one that you feel deeply about and drop a few coins in it. If you don’t, those few pennies are just going to be hanging out in your pocket anyway. It is a simple way to make a difference in the world and feel like you have contributed to a good cause. Read More »
Article By Kevin L. DeWitt
“… thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself …”
Leviticus 19:18
I have not been very good at living the Golden Rule for a good part of my life. However, this is one of the areas in my life I have been thinking a lot about lately and one I want to improve upon. That’s partly why the title reads “Practicing” as opposed to something that may imply having mastered it … it’s always a work in progress.
While putting the Golden Rule to work in our everyday lives will help to make others happy, the simple truth is that it will make me happier as well. Apply the Golden Rule in all of your interactions with others, help your neighbors, treat your family with kindness, help your co-workers, help a stranger in need.
These actions will help the people around you … however I believe people will treat you better too. Just as importantly, you will find a growing satisfaction in yourself, a belief in yourself, a knowledge that you are a good person. Not that living the Golden Rule requires a benefit or payoff … but these are not small dividends. They are large dividends. Read More »
Article by Make The Days Count Contributor Marie Monroe
I wrote some short pieces not too long ago about the ‘mundane’ things in my everyday life. This was a meditation upon the ordinary and day to day ‘bones’ of my life. They were, for me, an exercise in “the morning pages” that Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way recommends. These are a way of clearing the creative channel - just writing, without censoring what comes and doing this first thing in the morning as a daily routine.
Whether a writer or not, this is an exercise that is powerful and enlightening. Thoughts and insights come to help you discover what you already know and what you didn’t know that you do know …
The morning pages are a great technique for getting in touch with yourself, your life, your dreams and aspirations. They are also an excellent way to circumvent that often critical voice in your mind that drowns out the inspirations and intuitions of an often more difficult to hear, more authentic voice. Read More »
