Author: Nathaniel Colt

Read about It

Read: Psalm 103:8–13

Everyone’s done things that they knew were wrong. Maybe they borrowed something they shouldn’t have without permission. Or maybe they broke something and never told anyone. Those things are bad, but there’s something even worse. When we do things that God says are wrong, that’s sin. Every single sin deserves God’s punishment. But He shows us compassion and offers us forgiveness. When we ask for His forgiveness, instead of getting what we deserve, we get His love and mercy.

God’s compassion for us is an example for us. Has anyone ever been mean or hurtful to you? If so, maybe you wanted to get back at them. They may have deserved whatever you wanted to do It can be very hard to feel compassion for someone who’s done you wrong. Remembering God’s compassion when we sin can help us show compassion to those who do wrong to us.

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Read: 1 John 3:16–19

Imagine that you’re walking through the grocery store. When you turn the corner to the next aisle, there’s a huge display that you didn’t see. You trip, fall flat on the floor, and knock down the entire display. Everything goes flying. How would you feel? Maybe you feel sad because you hurt your ankle, or maybe you feel embarrassed because you made a huge mess. Would you feel worse if people laughed at you, or would it be better if those around you had compassion and stopped to help you pick up all the things that had fallen?

Probably all of us would want someone to stop and help us. That’s the kind of compassion we’re supposed to show and receive when we’re part of the Church. Jesus has shown us so much compassion and love! As the verses we read explained, His love should make us want to love other Christians the same way. One way we can show that love is by putting it into action when we see other Christians hurting or in need.

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Read: Luke 7:13–17

What are some of your favorite ways to celebrate when you hear good news or something special happens? Maybe you put on your favorite music. Perhaps you jump up and down and shout and squeal because you’re so excited. How do you think the mother in today’s story acted after what Jesus did? One minute she was hurting and heartbroken because her son had died. Then, Jesus reached out and showed compassion by bringing her son back to life. Her entire world changed!

Jesus gives us opportunities to reach out and show compassion to others. It may not mean life or death for someone, but simply caring or helping them will affect them. What may seem small to us could mean a world of difference to someone else. By showing compassion to those who are hurting, we help others know that they are loved by God, that they are valued, and that God has a plan and purpose for their life even when they have hard times.

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Read: Luke 7:11–13

Imagine being part of the crowd following Jesus this day. Seeing a funeral procession would have been sad. This funeral was life-changing for the mother. Not only was she a widow, which means that her husband had died, but now her only son had died. During Bible times, it was the men who provided for their family. For this widow, it would have been very hard for her to pay for food and other needs on top of the pain of losing her son. This is where Jesus stepped in. The Bible says that His heart overflowed with compassion for her!

Compassion means to have care or concern for someone. Compassion can feel like a tug on your heart when you see someone who is sad or hurting. Compassion makes you want to help them. When Jesus saw this woman who was hurting, He had compassion for her and wanted to comfort her. There are times when we may find people who are hurting and need help. Jesus wants our heart to be filled with compassion for others and for us to reach out to people in need just like He did with the widow.

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Read: Psalm 139:16–18

There are 60 minutes in an hour, 1,440 minutes in a day, 10,080 minutes in a week, and 525,600 minutes in a year. If you had to write down everything you’re going to do in the next year from minute to minute, what kinds of things would be on that list? The Bible says that every day of our life is recorded, and God knows what every moment of our life will look like. The things that may seem like interruptions to us are actually things that God knew were going to happen to us long ago.

When He places people in our path, He already knew, before we were even born, that our paths would cross with them because He knows them too. Following God means trusting that He knows best. Many of the people we come into contact with are there for a reason. Following God also means trusting Him with our time and being ready to jump into whatever God may bring our way. Just as with Peter, John, and the man who was lame, maybe that interruption will be the very thing that would help someone learn about Jesus.

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Read: Isaiah 55:8–9

Imagine this. You’re home on a school night, and your homework and chores are finally done. Dinner is all cleaned up, and you’re getting ready to sit down and play your favorite game. In the other room, you hear your parent answer the phone and after a quick conversation they say, “Sure, we’ll be right there.” Your parent comes in to tell you that your neighbor’s dog has run off, and your neighbor needs help finding it. What do you do?

God is not surprised like we are when things like this happen. His plans for our day might be totally different from ours because His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Sometimes an interruption in our day may be God’s way of lining up a perfect opportunity for us to reach out to others and show them that we care. Peter and John could have been frustrated when the man asked for help, because it was an interruption in their day, but they weren’t. That man needed someone to show him that they cared. When unexpected opportunities come up during our day, we can ask God to help us not get irritated and to help us see others the way that He does.

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Read: Acts 3:7–11

Have you ever skipped stones at a lake or a pond? One flick of the wrist can send a stone skipping several steps across the water. The stone creates lots of ripples that flow out from where it touched the water. That one stone can affect all the water around it, even without touching that part of the water. This is exactly what happened with Peter and John when they took the time to stop and speak with the man who was lame at the gate. The man was healed and the people around him witnessed the results of the miracle.

God wants to use us to change the world around us with His love. When we take the time to listen to His voice and follow His commands, we will not only affect the people we talk to, but also others as well. We will be part of the ripple effect of them sharing Jesus with people we may never actually talk to ourself.

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Read: Acts 3:1–6

Peter and John went to the temple one afternoon to pray, and it was probably much like any other afternoon. The man who was lame was carried in, just like he was each day. But, Peter and John were full of the Holy Spirit. Instead of rushing past the man to make it on time to the prayer service, they stopped when the man asked for money. We don’t know if they had seen this man before or not, but we do know that on this day, they were willing to stop and speak with him. They were willing to allow their schedule to be interrupted to do something that Jesus would have done.

Although they didn’t have money, they offered him what they did have: a miracle in the name of Jesus! You see, God isn’t always looking for the richest people or the most talented people to do His work. He wants to use people who are willing to be used by Him; people who are willing to interrupt their normal schedule to stop and care for someone who may be hurting.