Daily Devotional

-February 27, 2021-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

-Compassion Should Lead To Action-

“And Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.”

(Mark 6:34).

Jesus loved people, men, women, and children. This is clearly evident in Mark 6:30-44. His heart of compassion led to action in meeting their needs, first spiritually then physically. Jesus saw the need, was moved with compassion, and taught them many things. As believers this should be our priority as well.

• He saw a great multitude – Jesus looks at all people and knows their seeks their great need to be saved from their sins. Without this nothing else will help them. Christian work must have this as our priority. Our Savior not only saw the crowd but also the individuals in the crowd. We need large evangelistic meetings but we also need one on one sharing with those who do not know the Lord.

• He was moved with compassion – Jesus did not just see the people, He felt with them and for them. He knew their pain, problems, and needs. He had both sympathy for them, thus feeling for them; and empathy with them, thus feeling with them. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.” Jesus went through everything that we go through: He was hungry, thirsty, tired, sad, and lonely. He was truly the Man of Sorrows.

• He taught them many things – Jesus saw the people as sheep without a shepherd. They needed to His Word and know how to apply it to their lives. He thus travelled so many miles to preach and teach, not only in the large cities, but in the small villages. He went to them and they came to Him.

Our Lord not only cared for the spiritual needs of the people, but their physical needs as well. After this instead of sending them home hungry, He fed them, some 5,000 men plus women and children with five loaves and two fish. They all were amply filled and the left over fragments filled twelve baskets. Jesus met their spiritual needs first then their physical ones.

May the Lord help us to have compassion for people that leads to action. There are so many other needs people have and they want to see that we care for them. We cannot help them unless we listen to them and take action to help them. James wrote, “But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17-18).

Have a blessed day seeing the needs and meeting them. Let compassion lead to action. Stay safe and healthy.

Dean