Compassion: Part 2

The Salvation Army you're listening to wonderful words of life. Welcome back everybody were glad that you're here on wonderful words of life and say another warm welcome to Capt. Jimmy Taylor everybody know Jimmy you say a warm welcome to our listeners now owe welcome warm welcome to our listeners as well, that's perfect. When they were going to get this right. This is a new experience for Jimmy, he's on our third week in this new series, but we celebrate here in the United States.

Martin Luther King Jr. day tomorrow Jimmy what about Martin Luther King makes you think we should celebrate. You know Martin Luther King. He made a huge difference in the lives of not just African-Americans and everybody else heal people see that everyone had value. Everyone had this needed rights. Everyone had opportunities immersing the same created by the same maker literally challenged an entire nation to start thinking of each other as equals which is good. I want to believe that that's where we are today. I think there's still some racial tension in the United States but thankfully because of pioneers like Martin Luther King, Junior we have a better place to live. Well, as were in this new series and discussion with Robin Heather. We continued to discuss compassion as a pretty broad topic, but in today's study. Rob and Heather talk about what happens when the person were ministering to praying for life change in healing. Sometimes that doesn't take the first or even third time around how you deal with that and how many times do we keep reaching out to someone.

Jimmy, do you have stories about that where you tried to help but yeah I got several stores as I think of an individual or two individuals that used to live under a bridge here in Atlanta separate from when we were here at the illimitable core nature and they won't even care.

Charles and Marcus and they they really did struggle with alcoholism and they struggle with just living in the streets that that's where they want their families and put them out and we reached out time and time again only to the point where is it even worth it anymore and had asked for so that we are creating an enablement situation or we really doing ministry and to see that the perspective of their life change as we continue to press in it. It takes me back to thinking you know what if Christ would've only give me one chance I needed, dozens of chances and after five chances was I changing now look, I look at people like that is very frustrating from the person that is doing the ministry's perspective was want to shake him and say you need to change why are you not ready but it put ourselves in the individual shoes. I think that we can actually see it. It's a lifestyle change to behavioral changes and it takes regeneration by the Holy Spirit to really change your perspective and see that I'm not what society says I am on what Christ says I am on the new creation how I live at what I do with that man. It's important that we embrace this idea because at the end of the day when were talking about the least of these people need to have value. They have to perceive that they have value, and our interactions with them, however subtle, can really lead to some life-changing experiences well.

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It's not anything other than an opportunity for us to be better and to know that were meeting our listeners where you are sent us a note at radio@uss.salvationarmy.org or call us at 1-800-229-9965. Would love to hear from you. Would love to know that were meeting needs of our listeners. More importantly, would love to know that the Lord is working series. Thank you for joining us as we continue the conversation around the least of these, and compassion.

So focusing not just like last week with how Jesus has compassion on multitudes. Chapter 14 very familiar passage of Scripture for the church a little. Many is feeding the 5000 and administer myself but I left another story as it starts off and Jesus is looking for some alone time with the minister is someone who is in full-time ministry.

I a lot of us have busy lives we get what it means to need some alone time. Matthew chapter 14 verse 13 he withdrew my boat privately to a solitary place people will follow him. I got that so many for you. Come on down people in this paper seemed him at all times and when he saw he had compassion on which I like. Right off the bat if you like me they need to repent in my life is unlike their times and I like to hear how these people. I would means that Jesus had the ability look beyond only his own interests, but also much interested others and have compassion on them, and he began his ministry to write and we see as we look back to last week we saw that Jesus engages Levi, he calls to come spend some time together eating a meal together right away that religious people, and pointer fingers when he would he do anything with these centers in other pointing out the reason why you should write and it's interesting here.

We don't see the religious people but the disciples because Jesus realizes it's getting late and most of these folks probably you know they're not close to anything so there's not there's no check flight nearby and is not to be enough food again.

Laypeople are gonna get hungry so the disciples probably getting hungry little bit themselves and they start pointing out Jesus themselves. You know, maybe we need is send these folks away because they're gonna need to get back to town to get some food in and move on with their day. But Jesus's story doesn't finish their they don't need to go away and you know I think we think that Jesus gets mad he gets angry in Scripture. When we see these passionate statements, but I don't think Jesus was like yelling at them scolding them being like you think you are, you know, how dare you disease Jesus right. I guess I know just imagine my spirit is a look at the story that Jesus asked engages them with compassion to any's response response and not with condemnation, but rather invitation celebration me to write to. He says hey they don't need to go away talking to be okay.

Let's give them something to eat and that's when we have to realize and take some young lady some spiritual, moral inventory and billable wedding life and have to offer right may be there at that point there like okay, let's do Jesus, but there's about right because there like okay. Would love to get some to eat, but there's nothing forthright because they are looking at a situation is a place deficit not capacity not capacity. Right. So of course Jesus says only Jesus can do says will bring them here to me. He directed the people to sit down on the grass sounds comfortable by taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven. We know little boy provided this likely he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He then gave to the disciples and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied and the disciples picked up 12 basketful's of broken pieces that were left over, and more. Which is just what Jesus is like.

Jesus not only is there always enough is enough and is overflowing and I think that's the key. When I think the story think about living culturally nowadays in our society.

There is this idea with nonprofits with charities like like there's never enough to figure it might take and spread it out to those who do something deserving I had positive outcomes with the investments I'm making in the people who are who have those needs right and I think to move past that maybe the goal is not to get into a debate about who's right or who's wrong in the side of its toxic charity and what's not because Jesus keeps it pretty simple for me right and his response whether we look back at the last couple weeks as we been talking about these stories and seeing Jesus move towards the broken and the needy right he sees and is moved by compassion there.

There's always a response. He doesn't ever walk away.

Absolutely. So this is telling our friend, which is amazing. I wish everybody knew him, and if any can hang out with him when he got his like bass guitar going on this idea. How like how I can use my resources and how can I use them wisely when you have things to give you what you don't want those things to go to waste. You want those things to multiply and be fruitful sacks in the world today that when we're investing in the lives of people.

We don't get to control outcomes right. I remember when track was struggling with substance abuse and that he had come through the program that we were administering a couple times even before we got there he can actually reach the number of times you're allowed to go through the program, so once you can hit a certain number. Sometimes we say will maybe this isn't working for you but there's just something about trout were you just saw.

There was when he said look I want to change my life and you know there was just something about him and when we looked at him and chose to see the capacity. There are available, not the deficit of how many times he'd been through the program or how many times he had relapsed her, you know, burn all the bridges when we chose to look at him and see capacity and say man look at the gifts this guy has. It was pretty easy to say will let's let's do this again and again and again and just our couple years there I think probably tried came to the program three times in the camper in our driveway for a little bit extra. Sometimes what we have to offer isn't just one thing that we have to shift to me the person's needs right and I actually remember you and others is one time where he left and even he'd given up on himself right descended right so I remember us going to him and just thing like we just really believe that God has is calling you into this community and in our churches here in the Salvation Army and there's a there's a place for you. You can come back whenever you need to. And I remember him like slamming the door.

Not even opening the door, we would come to knock and bring groceries and usually leave me alone go away you know I don't want your Jesus. I don't want your program. I don't want any of it because we have times in our own life that we can't even see what God is doing know every person I think trade is created in the image of God. As such, they have the capacity to contribute something unique to the world that is there a significant contribution and people deserve places to contribute some times we forget that we have anything to offer and I'll community people coming and he did not need our class. He did not mean that were therapy did not meet people to come and remind him of who God called him to be in a way that was condemning it in a way that Liz invitational so next week as we continue these conversations focusing on the kingdom of God and the way in which Jesus interacts with the least of these, and when he gave us the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good. Helping people with material and spiritual needs.

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