Seeking God In A Lost World
Your life depends on it. Jesus says
in (John 17:3 NKJV) "And this is eternal life, that they may know You,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Our life is hidden
in Christ and is revealed to us through knowing Him. (Colossians 3:1-4 NKJV)
If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. {2} Set your mind on things above,
not on things on the earth. {3} For you died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. {4} When Christ who is our life appears, and then you also will
appear with Him in glory.
God
desires that we know Him and love Him
(Mark
12:30 NKJV) 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first
commandment. The more we come to know God, the
more we come to know love, because God is Love. The more realization and
awareness we have of God's love for us the more we will love Him. (1 John
4:19 NKJV) We love Him because He first loved us.
Moses asked to see God's glory; The Lord said I will cause my goodness to pass before you
(Exodus 34:5-7 NIV) Then the LORD
came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the
LORD. {6} And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the
LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness, {7} maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness,
rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; The first thing that God revealed about His character is He
is compassionate. The Hebrew word used here means to be full of Compassion. God
is full of compassion; God is love, the Love that God is we would call
compassion. All the other characteristics of God mentioned are results of
compassion.
God forgives wickedness, rebellion,
and sin, but the guilty that are punished are those that are full of pride whom
rejects God's compassion, mercy and forgiveness. The guilty do not accept Jesus
Christ and the awesome price that Jesus paid on the cross for their sins. They
choose to make themselves god, thus rejecting the God of love and instead
serving the god of hate and selfishness.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV) Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; {24} But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.
These are the things that God enjoys. The word judgment here can be good
judgment or bad judgment. God is the great equalizer He humbles the proud and
exalts the humble. Being fair and just is a part of being compassionate. (1
Samuel 2:6-8 NIV) "The LORD brings death and makes alive; he brings down
to the grave and raises up. {7} The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles
and he exalts. {8} He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from
the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of
honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; upon them he has
set the world. (James 4:6 NKJV) But He gives more grace. Therefore, He
says: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Exercising compassion is a key to knowing God
(Jeremiah 22:15-16 NLT) "But a
beautiful palace does not make a great king! Why did your father, Josiah, reign
so long? Because he was just and right in all his dealings. That is why God
blessed him. {16} He made sure that justice and help were given to the poor and
needy and everything went well for him. Isn't that what it means to know
me?" asks the LORD.
When you exercise actions of compassion toward people in need something wonderful happens. You begin to experience the love of God flowing through you toward the person that you are helping. We think of it as an emotion called compassion, but it is not a human emotion, it is the awesome presence of God's Holy Spirit. It is true love, God love. It is a love that meets all of the definitions of love in the Bible. It takes you into the deepest presence of God that a person can experience. It is knowing God in an intimate way by experiencing His love. This revelation of knowing God's love causes you to love Him in the deepest part of your being. Expressing God's love to people is expressing love to God; it is worshiping God in Spirit and Truth.
(Matthew 18:5 NKJV) "Whoever receives one little
child like this in My name receives Me. (Matthew 25:37-40 NIV)
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? {38} When did we see you,
a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothes? {39} When did we
see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' {40} "The King will reply,
'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers
of mine, you did for me.'
Compassion is not a human emotion it is the awesome presence of God, it is knowing God, it is experiencing God, and it is experiencing Love
(1 John 4:7-8 NKJV) Beloved, let us
love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and
knows God. {8} He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. When you walk in compassion you walk in the Spirit,
compassion bears all of the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-25 NKJV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, {23} gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no
law. {24} And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions
and desires. {25} If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Compassion is totally unselfish, you love the person you are giving to and you
don't care if they give anything back to you.
There are so many things to know about God but the most important thing is God is full of compassion, God is Love. Everything else in all of creation can be explained by this knowledge. God loves to exercise compassion so He has created a universe that needs His compassion desperately. (Romans 11:32 NIV) For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy (compassion) on them all.
Christ death on the cross was the ultimate demonstration of God’s compassion
(1 John 4:9 NKJV) In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. (John 15:9-13 NKJV) "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. {10} "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. {11} "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. {12} "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. {13} "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.
When we obey the commandments to love, and we give help to those in need in Jesus name, then we experience the most awesome joy. Compassion (love) causes us to be filled with joy and running over, because compassion is the presence of God. (Psalms 16:11 NKJV) You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy;
True love in the form of compassion always demands actions of compassion.
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