Compassion is a powerful emotion that carries the potential to change the world around us. While empathy is a feeling that involves a caring, emotional response to the suffering of others, compassion adds to that a strong desire to ease our neighbor’s pain. It turns our concerns for others into action and is a critical emotion that moves us to bring hands and feet to the commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

In the 24th and 25th chapters of the book of Matthew, Jesus began his teaching concerning the signs of the End Times. The text contains warnings and distressing words surrounding the end of the church age. At the end of his sermon, Jesus talked about separating the “sheep” from the “goats” in reference to how God will judge the world and men’s deeds. He then offered an allegory:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.’”

In the parable, the men did not understand the king’s words since they had not done anything to help him. The king then clarified:

“Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.’”

“Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.’” @AJC #Freewheelchairmission #freewheelchairs #compassion
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Regardless of one’s belief concerning Christ and his teachings, this passage should give us pause.

True Religion

It does not matter how many times we grace the doors of our sanctuaries, how many religious titles we hold, how often we read Scriptures, or how many hours we spend in prayer. Jesus’ warning is clear: If our religion does not translate into compassion toward the needy, we should undoubtedly search our hearts.

If our religion does not translate into compassion toward the needy, we should undoubtedly search our hearts. @AJC #Freewheelchairmission #freewheelchairs #compassion
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Indeed, later on in the New Testament, the apostle James beautifully summarized Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels concerning religion:

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”

In December 2022, I interviewed Dr. Don Schoendorfer, a bioengineer and founder of the Free Wheelchair Mission. In our conversation, I asked about the moment the idea for his organization was born.

Schoendorfer was in Morocco on vacation in 1979 when he witnessed a woman without legs crawling across a street while numerous people walked past the dirty, breathless figure struggling to make it to the other side of the road.

The scene never left his heart. Years later, God used the compassion Schoendorfer felt in Morocco to challenge him to use his decades working as a bio-engineer for the medical device industry to start the foundation that has provided free wheelchairs for 1.4 million people worldwide since 2001. His new book, “Miracle Wheels,” tells the story in a compelling way that has challenged me to think about how I am using my God-given talents to help others in need.

For me, it is sharing the Gospel’s life-changing message with women in shelters while providing for their needs, as well as teaching believers struggling with hardships to find the abundant life that Christ has promised through the unchanging truths of Scriptures.

What about you?

What is your niche? How can your experiences and gifts compassionately change the world around you?

Regardless of our financial status or feelings of inadequacy, genuine compassion finds a way to do something with the gifts and talents God has bestowed upon us to help others.

May we be challenged to find a way to turn our empathy toward the hurting and needy into compassion, lest our religion becomes empty and, worst of all, unnoticed by the King.

May we be challenged to find a way to turn our empathy toward the hurting and needy into compassion, lest our religion becomes empty and, worst of all, unnoticed by the King. @AJC #Freewheelchairmission #freewheelchairs #compassion
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Find out more about Free Wheelchair Mission and the book at www.freewheelchairmission.org/. Listen to Patricia’s interview with Dr. Schoendorfer on her podcast below.

This article was originally published in Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, February 11, 2023. Click HERE to find it on the AJC’s website.

Listen to the podcast episode below. If you are reading this in your email, please CLICK HERE to listen to the podcast. This interview is also available on YouTube. CLICK HERE to watch it.

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The post Compassion Turns your Talents into Gifts {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

Yes, I expect from many sources. I hold expectations in my marriage. Or, for dreams to exceed my expectations. For employers to love my skills. And for readers to relate to my writing.

Perhaps you expect in your life, too.

However, I confess: Believing for the divine to occur every day is not easy for me.

Because the concept is hard for humans to wrap our heads around. You see, we live and operate in the flesh, in the natural world. Supernatural stuff only seems right for the movies or a book…or for heaven.

But what if divine, God-things are meant for us here on this earth? And what if the Lord intended for us to look for displays of His works in our day-to-day routine?

Psalm 105 in The Message describes it:

Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles…(Verses 1-6a).

Maybe we tell others of all the great things God has done for us. And we praise the Lord for every deed or blessing from His hand.

Yet, don’t miss the second vital part. The divine happens today and continues into tomorrow and the next day and the next.

This passage gives us 3 ways to expect the divine in our life.

1) Expect by keeping our eyes open for God. 

Not wishing to see what might be ahead, I kept my eyes closed. College friends talked me into riding a roller coaster at Disneyland. Let me be clear. I’m fearful of heights, and not a fan of going upside down, or dropping off steep inclines.

Likewise, life causes twists and turns, flips our world upside down, or drops us from a steep incline. Still, God is with us through it all, always along for the ride. He holds onto us as He accomplishes His purposes in everything.

We must keep both our physical and spiritual eyes open to see God’s wonders and miracles.

We must keep both our physical and spiritual eyes open to see God’s wonders and miracles. #WednesdayMotivation @FridayKaren
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2) Expect by watching for God’s works. 

Sometimes my husband and I pick up our grandson, Foster, to spend the night. One of those times, our daughter sent us a picture of him watching from a window for us to arrive.

Waiting, he probably anticipated what adventures were ahead at Mimi and Pop Pop’s house. Regular adventures like walks to see the cows nearby. And the new activities at each visit.

Do we watch for God to arrive at just the right moment? Or, do we anticipate new adventures with our heavenly Father as we wait for Him? Do we believe and watch for the Lord’s activity in our life?

3) Expect by staying alert for signs of God’s presence.

The shrill beeping from my iPhone startled me in the middle of the night. A flash-flood alert. The Cambridge English Dictionary defines alert as “quick to see, understand.”

Are we missing alerts from heaven? Or, are we quick to see and understand God’s presence among us?

Miracles even happen in the unknown. Nothing is coincidence. Instead, God is always working behind the scenes on our behalf.

And God provides signs of how He performed a supernatural act, sent us on a divine appointment, scheduled a soul-encounter, or protected us from harm with His angels.

God provides signs of how He performed a #supernatural act, sent us on a #divine appointment, scheduled a soul-encounter, or protected us from harm with His angels. @FridayKaren
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These are God-things for us and our loved ones. But also the small, yet, still miraculous things happening daily. Things we’re often unaware of and point directly back to God. There’s simply no other explanation.

Expect to access the divine:

• Because of Jesus.
• Because of Calvary’s cross and the empty tomb.
• And because resurrection power dwells in us. (See Romans 8:11, Ephesians 1:19-20, Philippians 3:10.)

Due to the divine power available to us, encore performances of God-things happen each day of our lives. Encores by grace, peace, hope, goodness, love, and mercy.

So, starting right now, today…expect.

Expect divine, God-things to happen. Things only God can pull off.

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What if divine, God-things are meant for us here on this earth? Displays of God's works in our day-to-day lives. Join @FridayKaren as we learn to expect the divine. Link up is open. Share your blog.
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Click for PDF: The One Mile marker 03.17.15

Passage: Exodus 9

Key Verse: “‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.” Exodus 6:6

He left the presence of the Lord, repeating the words God had given him several days before. “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgements”. He hung on to that promise as he got ready to request yet another audience with the King of Egypt.

Between you and me – Moses had to be tired of it. When we get to Exodus chapter 9, Israel’s leader had seen God strike Egypt five times with miraculous, awesome wonders, and yet, Pharaoh would not waver.  And although God had told him that He himself would harden Pharaoh’s heart, there’s no doubt that pressing on was a hard thing for Moses to do.

How much more, Lord? How much will it take for this hard-headed, prideful king to let your people go? How many more wonders do you have to perform until he finally believes? You know exactly what it will take to break him, and yet, you choose this slow, painful path to set us free. Why? Why?

True – I may be stretching Moses’ thoughts a bit, but we know that Israel’s leader at the time had serious issues with unbelief. He questioned God’s sovereignty over and over again, while presenting his excuses to defuse the task of leading the Jews out of slavery (Exodus 4). Surely it was hard to go again, and plead God’s case before Pharaoh, not once, but five, six, ten times!

What made Moses get up the next day, and obey God in spite of his doubts and fears?

The answer can only be one: Determined obedience.

I’ve been trying to get in the swing of things again concerning my exercise routine. It’s been…., well, tough to say the least. Even five years ago, when I stopped exercising for a while, it seemed to be pretty easy to get my legs conditioned to running in a matter of days.

Not anymore.

I woke up this morning and chose to take my exercise outside. After a long and dreadful winter, the sun is shining and the rising temperatures were an invitation to jog in the park. The location is perfect, just beside my subdivision, and the track is exactly one-mile long. It beats the treadmill by far.

So I set out with a firm objective: two laps. Two miles.

Every 100 yards, a small marker reminded me of how slow I was going. By the time the first mile marker drew near, I was ready to quit. My legs were burning. My breathing was heavy. One mile is enough for today, I reasoned.

That’s when determination had to take over.

My body wanted to quit. It screamed that I’m getting older and it’s ok to stop at half of my journey. But my mind knows better. I know that, unless I press on from my breaking point, I’ll never get past that pitiful one-mile marker.

I smiled at the one-mile marker and was tempted to stick out my tongue at it, like a brat.  “I’m not a quitter!” I wanted to shout.

As I sluggishly continued on to the next lap, I gained new resolve while remembering the many times I felt like quitting, but instead made a conscious decision to keep on. I was reminded of the strength that I found… and the rewards that waited on the other side.

The stubborn last pounds that I needed to lose after each baby…

The book that I needed to finish writing…

The relationship that needed work…

The budget that I needed to follow…

The job that I kept on when I wanted to quit…

The bad habit that needed to change.

Each time I approached the “one-mile marker” of each challenge, and my weaknesses and hesitancy called me to give up, I had to make a deliberate decision to remember that God was with me in the pursuit of deliverance, provision, success and restoration… so long as I obeyed.  I had to call my mind to remember the miracles that God had performed in the past…  And walk in obedience that next mile, knowing that He would show up again.

Are you watching the “one-mile marker” approach in your two-mile journey?

Are your legs ready to give in?

Hey, I don’t blame you. I know the feeling. It’s hard to press on, feeding on unseen promises, when the results we keep getting are the same today as they were yesterday.  That’s probably exactly how ol’ Moses felt, when that fifth judgement from God did not change Pharaoh’s heart.

But what did he do?

He kept remembering the promises… and God’s faithful provisions for each need.

Our problem is that we want to see past today. We want to have forward vision, BEFORE we step onto that next mile of obedience.

What God was doing in Egypt over 3,000 years ago, as Moses climbed the steps of Pharaoh’s palace once again, was much more than a heavenly display of wonders. He was working on individual lives.  He knew what awaited Moses and the people in the wilderness, and therefore, before they left, He needed to strengthen their faith in the God they served.

So they needed to stay a little longer… suffer a bit more… and watch God’s mighty hand at work as they waited.

There’s a reason for that second mile, my friend.

Just as there was a reason for the next five judgments before Israel’s deliverance.

Remember, your journey is not just about you. It’s about God’s glory displayed in and through you. It’s about judgment of the wicked. It’ about faith muscle conditioning.  It’s about establishing determined, blind obedience.

It’s about sweet victory… but not before you’re ready to recognize that it was God who led you there.

Do you want to watch God’s glory displayed? Your faith tested and proven?

Do you want to see what God can do in and through you?

Stick your tongue out at the “one-mile” marker. Tell it you’re keeping on.  God has some more work to do in that second mile of your journey.

And you don’t want to miss the reward for keeping on God’s track for just a little longer.

The post The One-Mile Marker. Time to quit!? appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.