Week 5 : God’s Compassion
Wednesday
Call to Prayer
God’s desire is for all of humanity to have an intimate relationship with Him. We are able to know God through his Son, Jesus Christ. We engage in a relationship with God through studying the Scriptures and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s love, truth and compassion, which are found in Christ Jesus.
Spend a few moments in prayer and silence preparing your heart to receive from the Holy Spirit.
Psalm & Scripture
Psalm 135:13-18 (NLT)
Your name, O Lord, endures forever;
your fame, O Lord, is known to every generation.
For the Lord will give justice to his people
and have compassion on his servants.
The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
and eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear,
and noses but cannot smell.
And those who make idols are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.
Luke 15:11-20 (NLT)
To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.
“A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’
“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
Time of Reflection
Praise God for the times that he has ran to you with love and compassion to embrace you.
Take a few moments to reflect on the times that people have wronged you or the people in your life who you have anger or resentment toward. What is stopping you from embracing them and forgiving them with God’s love and compassion?
Missional Moment
Do you own a book that has really inspired you? Write a note to a neighbor or someone you have really appreciated and share the book with that person.
Community Prayer
Help us to remember all those who have inspired us. Lord give us the courage to step out and encourage others and to be intentional about speaking into their lives.