Firm Compassion

There is a very fine line that Christians tread. We are to stand firmly for what we believe (Mt. 24:13, Eph. 6:11), yet we are to have compassion and mercy (Jude 22). The world we live in is riddled with sin and contempt for the ways of God, yet this is the same world we are called to be witnesses to. Not hostile witnesses, either.

A situation came up today where I needed to define this line a little more. As I sat pondering how to handle it, the only thing that came to mind was the old cliché, W.W.J.D. As much as the overuse and misuse of this acronym bothers me, it is very appropriate. What would Jesus do in this type situation?

The first thing the Lord brought to mind was that Jesus never backed down. Now, that is not the same thing as backing off. Sometimes we need to back off in order to let a person contemplate what they are hearing, or to experience a situation for themselves. We are, however, never called to back down from what we believe. Can you tell the difference in your own attitude between the two? Are you able to back off without backing down?

Another principle I learned was Jesus' wisdom in using parables. Jesus never said while teaching the crowds or His disciples, “Hey, remember what Bob from Galilee did? Well, that's a prime example of what you shouldn't do!” He always taught His lessons with generic people. He may have specified a people group, such as Samaritans (Lk. 10:25-37), but He never gave a negative lesson with specifics. We would be very wise to do the same. Being obviously discrete doesn't count either. You know what I mean... “There was was this older lady from my last church – a former Sunday School teacher of mine – who ....” Just because you don't use the actual name doesn't mean you are being good.

We also need to remember that it is our Father in Heaven who is Judge and not us. Therefore, we must be very careful the way in which we word things. If we disagree with something in particular, is there a Scriptural reason or a personal one? Is it a matter of doctrine or disposition? Even if it is a Scriptural reason, in what way are we verbalizing it? Basically, are gossiping, or being plain rude. I go by the rule that if it's not positive and I don't need to know it, then I don't need to know it. That goes in the other direction too. If the person I'm talking to doesn't need to know, then don't share.

I think this is a struggle we will have until the day we are given newly resurrected bodies. It's also something we need to ponder on now and again. Is your firm compassion on this world in balance?