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Compassion for the world

Compassion for the world

Now this is amazing. One of God’s gifts is a sense of compassion in the heart to love. Even if I don’t always feel it in the natural, when I am living God’s way, it is a gift He gives me. That is His goal for me and He gives me the power to live that way.

The key is to live God’s way. The fruit of compassion of love will come. That is how I learn to love more like our Father. He gives me a sense of compassion in my heart.

  • God is in a very good mood.
  • He delights in giving us gifts.
  • We need to receive what God has given us in His son Jesus the Messiah, our Master.

May I live God’s way. May the fruit of compassion in the heart be mine.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

English Standard Version. (2016). (Galatians 5:19–26). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

You and I are not debtors to the flesh, but to the Spirit.

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God 

English Standard Version. (2016). (Romans 8:12–14). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

We must accept what God says about the old nature and not try to make it something that it is not. We must not make “provision for the flesh” by feeding it the things that it enjoys. In the flesh dwells no good thing,

But put on the Master Yeshua [Jesus] the Messiah, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

English Standard Version. (2016). (Romans 13:14). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

We should put no confidence in the flesh. The flesh is not subject to God’s Law and it cannot please God. Only through the Holy Spirit can we “put to death” the deeds that the flesh would do through our body. The Holy Spirit is not only the Spirit of life, but He is also the Spirit of death: He helps us to reckon ourselves dead to sin.

It is one thing to overcome the flesh and not do evil things, but quite something else to do good things. The legalist might be able to boast that he is not guilty of adultery or murder, but can anyone see the beautiful graces of the Spirit in his life? Negative goodness is not enough in a life; there must be positive qualities as well.

The contrast between works and fruit is important. A machine in a factory works, and turns out a product, but it could never manufacture fruit. Fruit must grow out of life, and, in the case of the believer, it is the life of the Spirit.

  • When you think of “works” you think of effort, labor, strain, and toil; when you think of “fruit” you think of beauty, quietness, the unfolding of life.
  • The flesh produces “dead works”, but the Spirit produces living fruit.

And this fruit has in it the seed for still more fruit. Love begets more love! Joy helps to produce more joy! Jesus is concerned that we produce “fruit … more fruit … much fruit”, because this is the way we glorify Him.

The old nature cannot produce fruit; only the new nature can do that. And that can only happen through the power of the Holy Spirit. Glory be to Jesus, God’s son and our delivery from the slavery of sin.

 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

English Standard Version. (2016). (John 15:5). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.