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00:00:01 Our text comments contain this thought 00:00:03 (if you look about halfway down, 00:00:05 there’s a sentence that says): 00:00:06 “Feeling tender compassion 00:00:09 will move us to acts of kindness.” 00:00:12 It’s interesting that the Bible 00:00:13 in different places 00:00:14 links those two qualities together. 00:00:16 For example, Ephesians 4:32 states: 00:00:18 “Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate.” 00:00:24 Insight on the Scriptures defines compassion this way: 00:00:27 “A sympathetic awareness of another’s suffering or adversity 00:00:32 coupled with a desire to alleviate it.” 00:00:35 So we have the awareness —we have the feeling— 00:00:38 along with that desire to act kindly. 00:00:42 But sadly, as The Watchtower once mentioned: 00:00:46 “The moral climate of our time . . . 00:00:48 has killed compassion in the hearts of so many.” 00:00:53 A “Watching the World” item highlighted that some years ago in the Awake! 00:00:57 In Italy, a six-year-old girl and her father were driving to the beach. 00:01:02 As they entered a tunnel, the father, 00:01:05 who was only in his 30’s, suddenly suffered a heart attack. 00:01:09 Before he died, he told his little girl to find her way home. 00:01:14 She struggled out of the tunnel, 00:01:16 repeatedly blown over by gusts of wind 00:01:19 from cars that zipped by without slowing. 00:01:22 Scratched, bleeding, and in tears, 00:01:25 she walked along the highway for half an hour, 00:01:29 ignored by hundreds of passing cars filled with vacationers 00:01:33 until finally one car stopped to help. 00:01:36 Newspaper editorials around the country asked searching questions, 00:01:40 such as whether the country’s affluence had made it lose 00:01:43 some of the warmth and compassion 00:01:46 for which it had long been famous. 00:01:48 One newspaper mentioned: 00:01:50 “Along the happy road of vacation, 00:01:53 “there were no scheduled stops 00:01:55 for attending to the pain of others.” 00:01:58 Well, that account sadly illustrates the world that we live in. 00:02:03 Let’s talk a little bit more about this quality of compassion. 00:02:07 We’ll consider when compassion should not be shown, 00:02:10 we’ll look at an example of Jehovah’s compassion, 00:02:13 and then we’ll consider some practical ways 00:02:16 that we can show compassion. 00:02:19 First, there are times when compassion should not be shown. 00:02:23 For example, if someone deliberately persists in sin, 00:02:26 it would be wrong to feel that we 00:02:28 should compassionately shield them from discipline. 00:02:32 See, that would be misplaced compassion. 00:02:35 Let’s notice an example in ancient Israel. 00:02:37 Please turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 13 —Deuteronomy 13. 00:02:42 If you look at verse 6, 00:02:44 the Israelites were commanded that if a brother, child, 00:02:48 and you’ll notice there some expressions such as “cherished wife” 00:02:52 or “closest companion,” 00:02:54 if any of those were to urge a person to “serve other gods,” 00:02:58 notice the instruction in verse 8: 00:03:00 “You must not give in to him or listen to him, nor should you show pity 00:03:04 “or feel compassion or protect him; 00:03:09 instead, you should kill him without fail.” 00:03:13 Now, why was that so important? 00:03:15 Why was it important not to show compassion? 00:03:17 Well, verse 11: “Then all Israel will hear and become afraid, 00:03:22 “and they will never again 00:03:24 do anything bad like this among you.” 00:03:28 So it was for a protection for the nation. 00:03:30 If someone tried to turn an Israelite from serving Jehovah, 00:03:33 that was not the time to show compassion. 00:03:36 Yielding to pressure to show compassion when it’s contrary to God’s will 00:03:41 can have serious consequences. 00:03:43 So we certainly need to avoid misplaced compassion. 00:03:49 Now let’s consider an example of Jehovah’s compassion. 00:03:52 Turn with me to Exodus chapter 3 —Exodus chapter 3. 00:03:57 While tending to his father-in-law’s sheep, 00:03:59 Moses saw something he’d never seen before. 00:04:02 And I daresay none of us have ever seen it either. 00:04:04 Moses saw a thornbush on fire, 00:04:07 but it wasn’t being consumed. 00:04:10 So Moses decided to go and investigate. 00:04:12 By means of an angel, Jehovah spoke to Moses from the midst of the fire. 00:04:16 And notice what he said in verse 5: 00:04:19 “Do not come any nearer. 00:04:21 “Remove your sandals from your feet, 00:04:23 because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 00:04:28 So just think: Because the holy God was present representatively, 00:04:33 the ground itself became holy. 00:04:36 Now, keep that thought in mind; we’re going to come back to it. 00:04:39 Let’s focus now on Jehovah’s compassion for his people who were suffering in Egypt. 00:04:43 Notice verse 7: “Jehovah added: 00:04:46 “‘I have certainly seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, 00:04:50 “‘and I have heard their outcry because of those who force them to work; 00:04:55 I well know the pains they suffer.’” 00:04:59 So Jehovah wasn’t blind to the misery of his people. 00:05:02 He wasn’t deaf to their cries for help. 00:05:05 Their anguish became his own. 00:05:08 Did you notice the expression at the end of the verse? 00:05:10 “I well know the pains they suffer.” 00:05:14 Regarding the phrase “I well know,” one reference work states: 00:05:17 “The expression implies personal feeling, 00:05:20 tenderness, and compassion.” 00:05:24 So Jehovah’s words here reveal a deeply concerned, 00:05:27 caring, and compassionate God. 00:05:30 And what would Jehovah do? 00:05:31 Would he act kindly on that compassion? 00:05:34 Well, we know he was going to. 00:05:36 In verse 10, in part, Jehovah commissioned Moses: 00:05:39 “Bring my people . . . out of Egypt.” 00:05:43 You know, this account should be encouraging to us. 00:05:46 We can be sure that Jehovah sees our adversities. 00:05:49 He hears our cries for help. 00:05:51 He knows the pain that we suffer at times. 00:05:55 But Jehovah just doesn’t feel compassion for us. 00:05:58 No, he’s moved to act kindly. 00:06:00 Why? 00:06:02 First Peter 5:7 —he cares for each one of us. 00:06:06 God’s compassion also gives us reason for hope. 00:06:09 One sister who struggled with depression and discouragement 00:06:13 found comfort in this account about Moses and the thornbush. 00:06:16 Remember the holy ground that we read about in verse 5. 00:06:19 The sister said: 00:06:21 “If Jehovah can make even the dirt holy, 00:06:24 then maybe there is a little hope for me.” 00:06:28 See, she’d benefited from Jehovah’s compassion. 00:06:31 Well, so far we’ve seen the need to avoid misplaced compassion. 00:06:35 We’ve considered Jehovah’s example of not only feeling compassion 00:06:39 but acting kindly on it. 00:06:41 How can we imitate him? 00:06:43 One quality that can help is love 00:06:46 —unselfish love— of neighbor. 00:06:48 Let’s consider two practical ways that can help us 00:06:52 —that we can show this type of compassion. 00:06:54 First, compassion will help us to avoid 00:06:57 reacting harshly when others make mistakes. 00:07:01 Remember that earlier we quoted Ephesians 4:32, 00:07:04 linking kindness and compassion. 00:07:06 Well, let’s turn to the verse just previous to it 00:07:08 —Ephesians 4 and let’s read verse 31— Ephesians 4:31. 00:07:13 Keep that thought in mind: Compassion will help us 00:07:16 to avoid reacting harshly when others make mistakes. 00:07:19 Verse 31: “Put away from yourselves every kind of malicious bitterness, 00:07:24 “anger, wrath, screaming, and abusive speech, 00:07:28 as well as everything injurious.” 00:07:30 And then verse 32 says: “But [there’s the connector, but] 00:07:35 “become kind to one another, 00:07:38 tenderly compassionate.” 00:07:41 So whether at home, in the congregation, 00:07:43 at Bethel, on construction sites —wherever we may be— 00:07:46 let’s allow love, this unselfish love of neighbor, 00:07:50 to cause us to show compassion 00:07:52 and avoid reacting harshly when others make mistakes. 00:07:57 A second way that love can help us to be compassionate 00:08:00 is that it will help us to avoid the imperfect tendency 00:08:03 to abuse power. 00:08:05 Colossians 3:12 states: 00:08:07 “Clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness.” 00:08:12 There are the two linked together again, 00:08:14 and then the verse adds “humility [or “lowliness of mind,” ftn.].” 00:08:18 The Watchtower once made this point about that verse: 00:08:22 “Lowliness of mind enables us to put ourselves 00:08:25 “in the position of those under our supervision. 00:08:29 “To be compassionate involves being humble and reasonable 00:08:34 “rather than hard to please. 00:08:36 “Efficiency should not be an excuse 00:08:39 for treating people as mere parts of a machine” 00:08:42 —good points to keep in mind. 00:08:45 So those are two ways that love can help us to be compassionate: 00:08:49 Avoid reacting harshly when others make mistakes, 00:08:52 and avoid the imperfect tendency to abuse power. 00:08:56 So while the moral climate has killed compassion 00:09:00 in the hearts of so many today, 00:09:02 we want to be known for our compassion. 00:09:05 Of course, never would we want to display misplaced compassion 00:09:09 if someone deliberately persists in sin. 00:09:12 Rather, we want to imitate Jehovah 00:09:14 and kindly act on our feelings of compassion for those in need. 00:09:19 So as we go about our day, let’s look for ways 00:09:22 that we can heed the admonition there at Ephesians 4:32: 00:09:25 “Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate.”
00:00:01 Our text comments contain this thought 00:00:03 (if you look about halfway down, 00:00:05 there’s a sentence that says): 00:00:06 “Feeling tender compassion 00:00:09 will move us to acts of kindness.” 00:00:12 It’s interesting that the Bible 00:00:13 in different places 00:00:14 links those two qualities together. 00:00:16 For example, Ephesians 4:32 states: 00:00:18 “Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate.” 00:00:24 Insight on the Scriptures defines compassion this way: 00:00:27 “A sympathetic awareness of another’s suffering or adversity 00:00:32 coupled with a desire to alleviate it.” 00:00:35 So we have the awareness —we have the feeling— 00:00:38 along with that desire to act kindly. 00:00:42 But sadly, as The Watchtower once mentioned: 00:00:46 “The moral climate of our time . . . 00:00:48 has killed compassion in the hearts of so many.” 00:00:53 A “Watching the World” item highlighted that some years ago in the Awake! 00:00:57 In Italy, a six-year-old girl and her father were driving to the beach. 00:01:02 As they entered a tunnel, the father, 00:01:05 who was only in his 30’s, suddenly suffered a heart attack. 00:01:09 Before he died, he told his little girl to find her way home. 00:01:14 She struggled out of the tunnel, 00:01:16 repeatedly blown over by gusts of wind 00:01:19 from cars that zipped by without slowing. 00:01:22 Scratched, bleeding, and in tears, 00:01:25 she walked along the highway for half an hour, 00:01:29 ignored by hundreds of passing cars filled with vacationers 00:01:33 until finally one car stopped to help. 00:01:36 Newspaper editorials around the country asked searching questions, 00:01:40 such as whether the country’s affluence had made it lose 00:01:43 some of the warmth and compassion 00:01:46 for which it had long been famous. 00:01:48 One newspaper mentioned: 00:01:50 “Along the happy road of vacation, 00:01:53 “there were no scheduled stops 00:01:55 for attending to the pain of others.” 00:01:58 Well, that account sadly illustrates the world that we live in. 00:02:03 Let’s talk a little bit more about this quality of compassion. 00:02:07 We’ll consider when compassion should not be shown, 00:02:10 we’ll look at an example of Jehovah’s compassion, 00:02:13 and then we’ll consider some practical ways 00:02:16 that we can show compassion. 00:02:19 First, there are times when compassion should not be shown. 00:02:23 For example, if someone deliberately persists in sin, 00:02:26 it would be wrong to feel that we 00:02:28 should compassionately shield them from discipline. 00:02:32 See, that would be misplaced compassion. 00:02:35 Let’s notice an example in ancient Israel. 00:02:37 Please turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 13 —Deuteronomy 13. 00:02:42 If you look at verse 6, 00:02:44 the Israelites were commanded that if a brother, child, 00:02:48 and you’ll notice there some expressions such as “cherished wife” 00:02:52 or “closest companion,” 00:02:54 if any of those were to urge a person to “serve other gods,” 00:02:58 notice the instruction in verse 8: 00:03:00 “You must not give in to him or listen to him, nor should you show pity 00:03:04 “or feel compassion or protect him; 00:03:09 instead, you should kill him without fail.” 00:03:13 Now, why was that so important? 00:03:15 Why was it important not to show compassion? 00:03:17 Well, verse 11: “Then all Israel will hear and become afraid, 00:03:22 “and they will never again 00:03:24 do anything bad like this among you.” 00:03:28 So it was for a protection for the nation. 00:03:30 If someone tried to turn an Israelite from serving Jehovah, 00:03:33 that was not the time to show compassion. 00:03:36 Yielding to pressure to show compassion when it’s contrary to God’s will 00:03:41 can have serious consequences. 00:03:43 So we certainly need to avoid misplaced compassion. 00:03:49 Now let’s consider an example of Jehovah’s compassion. 00:03:52 Turn with me to Exodus chapter 3 —Exodus chapter 3. 00:03:57 While tending to his father-in-law’s sheep, 00:03:59 Moses saw something he’d never seen before. 00:04:02 And I daresay none of us have ever seen it either. 00:04:04 Moses saw a thornbush on fire, 00:04:07 but it wasn’t being consumed. 00:04:10 So Moses decided to go and investigate. 00:04:12 By means of an angel, Jehovah spoke to Moses from the midst of the fire. 00:04:16 And notice what he said in verse 5: 00:04:19 “Do not come any nearer. 00:04:21 “Remove your sandals from your feet, 00:04:23 because the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 00:04:28 So just think: Because the holy God was present representatively, 00:04:33 the ground itself became holy. 00:04:36 Now, keep that thought in mind; we’re going to come back to it. 00:04:39 Let’s focus now on Jehovah’s compassion for his people who were suffering in Egypt. 00:04:43 Notice verse 7: “Jehovah added: 00:04:46 “‘I have certainly seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt, 00:04:50 “‘and I have heard their outcry because of those who force them to work; 00:04:55 I well know the pains they suffer.’” 00:04:59 So Jehovah wasn’t blind to the misery of his people. 00:05:02 He wasn’t deaf to their cries for help. 00:05:05 Their anguish became his own. 00:05:08 Did you notice the expression at the end of the verse? 00:05:10 “I well know the pains they suffer.” 00:05:14 Regarding the phrase “I well know,” one reference work states: 00:05:17 “The expression implies personal feeling, 00:05:20 tenderness, and compassion.” 00:05:24 So Jehovah’s words here reveal a deeply concerned, 00:05:27 caring, and compassionate God. 00:05:30 And what would Jehovah do? 00:05:31 Would he act kindly on that compassion? 00:05:34 Well, we know he was going to. 00:05:36 In verse 10, in part, Jehovah commissioned Moses: 00:05:39 “Bring my people . . . out of Egypt.” 00:05:43 You know, this account should be encouraging to us. 00:05:46 We can be sure that Jehovah sees our adversities. 00:05:49 He hears our cries for help. 00:05:51 He knows the pain that we suffer at times. 00:05:55 But Jehovah just doesn’t feel compassion for us. 00:05:58 No, he’s moved to act kindly. 00:06:00 Why? 00:06:02 First Peter 5:7 —he cares for each one of us. 00:06:06 God’s compassion also gives us reason for hope. 00:06:09 One sister who struggled with depression and discouragement 00:06:13 found comfort in this account about Moses and the thornbush. 00:06:16 Remember the holy ground that we read about in verse 5. 00:06:19 The sister said: 00:06:21 “If Jehovah can make even the dirt holy, 00:06:24 then maybe there is a little hope for me.” 00:06:28 See, she’d benefited from Jehovah’s compassion. 00:06:31 Well, so far we’ve seen the need to avoid misplaced compassion. 00:06:35 We’ve considered Jehovah’s example of not only feeling compassion 00:06:39 but acting kindly on it. 00:06:41 How can we imitate him? 00:06:43 One quality that can help is love 00:06:46 —unselfish love— of neighbor. 00:06:48 Let’s consider two practical ways that can help us 00:06:52 —that we can show this type of compassion. 00:06:54 First, compassion will help us to avoid 00:06:57 reacting harshly when others make mistakes. 00:07:01 Remember that earlier we quoted Ephesians 4:32, 00:07:04 linking kindness and compassion. 00:07:06 Well, let’s turn to the verse just previous to it 00:07:08 —Ephesians 4 and let’s read verse 31— Ephesians 4:31. 00:07:13 Keep that thought in mind: Compassion will help us 00:07:16 to avoid reacting harshly when others make mistakes. 00:07:19 Verse 31: “Put away from yourselves every kind of malicious bitterness, 00:07:24 “anger, wrath, screaming, and abusive speech, 00:07:28 as well as everything injurious.” 00:07:30 And then verse 32 says: “But [there’s the connector, but] 00:07:35 “become kind to one another, 00:07:38 tenderly compassionate.” 00:07:41 So whether at home, in the congregation, 00:07:43 at Bethel, on construction sites —wherever we may be— 00:07:46 let’s allow love, this unselfish love of neighbor, 00:07:50 to cause us to show compassion 00:07:52 and avoid reacting harshly when others make mistakes. 00:07:57 A second way that love can help us to be compassionate 00:08:00 is that it will help us to avoid the imperfect tendency 00:08:03 to abuse power. 00:08:05 Colossians 3:12 states: 00:08:07 “Clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness.” 00:08:12 There are the two linked together again, 00:08:14 and then the verse adds “humility [or “lowliness of mind,” ftn.].” 00:08:18 The Watchtower once made this point about that verse: 00:08:22 “Lowliness of mind enables us to put ourselves 00:08:25 “in the position of those under our supervision. 00:08:29 “To be compassionate involves being humble and reasonable 00:08:34 “rather than hard to please. 00:08:36 “Efficiency should not be an excuse 00:08:39 for treating people as mere parts of a machine” 00:08:42 —good points to keep in mind. 00:08:45 So those are two ways that love can help us to be compassionate: 00:08:49 Avoid reacting harshly when others make mistakes, 00:08:52 and avoid the imperfect tendency to abuse power. 00:08:56 So while the moral climate has killed compassion 00:09:00 in the hearts of so many today, 00:09:02 we want to be known for our compassion. 00:09:05 Of course, never would we want to display misplaced compassion 00:09:09 if someone deliberately persists in sin. 00:09:12 Rather, we want to imitate Jehovah 00:09:14 and kindly act on our feelings of compassion for those in need. 00:09:19 So as we go about our day, let’s look for ways 00:09:22 that we can heed the admonition there at Ephesians 4:32: 00:09:25 “Become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate.”
