Daily Devotions
Don’t Lose Your Compassionate Edge (2)
“Faith…if it does not have works, is dead.” Jas 2:17 NKJV
Mother Teresa said, “The biggest disease today isn’t leprosy or cancer. It’s the feeling of being uncared for, unwanted—of being deserted and alone.” As a result, she spent her life rescuing sick babies and giving dignity to the dying. Asked why she did it, she replied, “Because Jesus did.” What a great answer! When simultaneous disasters hit different countries around the world, humanitarian organizations say we suffer from “donor fatigue.” Let’s add one more: “compassion failure.” Philosopher Miguel de Unamuno wrote, “Warmth, warmth, more warmth! For we are dying of cold and not of darkness. It is not the night that kills, but the frost.” Think about this: of the 1,189 chapters in the Bible, 250 contain the words of the prophets. That’s roughly 25 percent. Half of what they say denounces sin, and the other half condemns those who see human suffering and do nothing about it. Yet events that horrified those same prophets take place in our world every day, and we’re immune to them. Like wearing a watch, you get used to it and after awhile you don’t even notice it. But the prophets noticed! They never became desensitized to sin—or human suffering. And you mustn’t either. You say, “But my main focus at the moment is on building up my faith.” That’s a good thing; but never forget that “Faith by itself, if it does not have works [of compassion], is dead.”
