That title got your attention didn't it!? haah! Well, "Constipated Compassion" popped into my mind listening to Raymond Woodward last night... He was reading a scripture from King James Version and my mind took a little bit of a scenic detour! The scripture "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" 1 John 3:17. And now you see where it all went off course for me! ha!... Actually, maybe it just branched out because as I thought a bit more I decided it might just be blog worthy; so here we go, buckle up kiddos!
Basically the scripture in 1 John 3:17 is saying "if you have access something and see someone else in need but refuse to allow your compassion to move you into action then God's love doesn't dwell in you..." And if God's love isn't in you that's a serious problem! You know I'm always an advocate for helping others no matter our personal mood or circumstance but I've never really noticed this scripture in this way before. It even seems to be suggesting "feeling compassion" alone isn't enough if you close it off... Of course, I didn't want to take anything out of context just to prove I'm right so I looked deeper... And you know what!? The very next scripture clears everything up: "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth" 1 John 3:18. Wow, there it is... Talk is cheap folks, in fact; if I just write to you all about compassionate actions and don't do anything more then the love of God can't be in me either! And not only that but this scripture says "in deed and in truth" which means if you're love is shown in word only, it's nothing but a lie! That is crazy to me...But it's truth, heavy/strong truth and pretty awesome at the same time.
If you're like me you've memorized, heard or read John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son..." and then heard some quote along the lines of "Jesus gave His life for us, we need to give our lives for Him!" And that's true but I also read 1 John 3:16 last night and it gives a bit of a different perspective on "giving your life..." God's perspective always is different than ours... "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." What? So, let me get this straight... Lay down our lives for each other? That isn't always so easy, usually when you're laying down your life for "the brethren" it's not taking a bullet physically but to your will, pride and preferences are definitely going to take a hit and in some strange way that can seem even more difficult. Taking a bullet physically would tend to make you feel like a hero and, of course, make others puff you up as a hero. Whereas taking a bullet to your will - by taking a back seat to someone else - or to your pride - deciding to concede and not fight with someone even though you know you're correct - or to your preferences -by not complaining about the music last Sunday even though they only sang fast songs and you couldn't "feel" anything or they were too country for your young, fresh, swag self (haha!) - all hurt your ego just a bit... But wait, there's one last scripture that's good as a reminder and confirmation all these bullets are in fact good for us to take spiritually and it's back to John chapter 3 but this time it's verse 30 "He [God] must increase, but I must decrease." I know it's uncomfortable and it seems counterproductive and counter to everything we are taught in today's society (trust me I know) but truth doesn't change, the way to show God and others that we have in fact and continue to give our lives to Jesus because He gave His life for us is to give our lives for each other, always helping, acting on compassion, preferring each other over self and yes, allowing that ego to shrink so the image of Jesus can grow!
Wow, that was probably just as uncomfortable for me to write as it is for you to read (I went back and read it too! Just as bad, ha!) but it's needed by us all. So let's suck it up and bite the bullets!
1 John 3:16-20 KJV
Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
1 John 3:16-20 MSG
This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear! My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves!
1 comment:
Enjoyed this one very much .
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