As we continue our journey through our sixth annual all-church sermon and small group series, which is entitled, Discipleship: Virtuous Life in Christ, you are invited to use this daily devotional to help you to focus on the virtue of “compassion” this week. Throughout August we are uniting together as a congregation to focus on four of the many virtues of Jesus. Our hope is that these virtues of Christ will guide us throughout the next few years as the Holy Spirit forms us more and more into the likeness of our Savior as individuals and as a church family.

 

This week you are invited to begin your devotional time with Psalm 103 or part of the lyrics of the hymn, “God Will Take Care of You”, by Civilla D. Martin. With your heart and mind focused on God, then read the daily Bible verses about compassion, and conclude your time praying in response to the Lord.

 

 

Monday (8/16)

Read Psalm 103 as a way to center your heart and mind in the Lord as you prepare to receive God’s message to you for today.

 

Read how God described himself to Moses in Exodus 34:5-10. What does God’s message reveal about him?

 

Pray in response to our compassionate and gracious God.

 

 

Tuesday (8/17)

Read a portion of the lyrics from the hymn “God Will Take Care of You” as reminder that God is compassionate:

 

Be not dismayed whatever betide, God will take care fo you;

beneath his wings of love abide; God will take care of you.

God will take care of you, through every day, o’er all the way;

he will take care of you, God will take care of you.

 

Read the Lord’s message shared through the prophet in Isaiah 49:8-13. What do these verses reveal about God?

 

Pray in response to the God who leads us, guides us, and has compassion upon his people.

 

 

Wednesday (8/18)

Read Psalm 103 as a way to center your heart and mind in Christ as you prepare to receive God’s message to you for today.

 

Read Matthew 9:27-31. How is compassion shared by Jesus in these verses?

 

Pray in response to Jesus’ compassion. If you are in need, much like the blind men in the verses, ask the Lord for his mercy. Invite the Holy Spirit to enable you to hear and see the cries of others who are wounded in our world, as well as the courage and grace to respond to them with the compassion of our God.

 

 

Thursday (8/19)

Read a portion of the lyrics from the hymn, “God Will Take Care of You”, as a reminder of the compassion of the Lord:

 

Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;

when dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.

God will take care of you, through every day, o’er all the way;

he will take care of you, God will take care of you.

 

Read Mark 1:40-42. Many manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel state that, “Jesus was filled with compassion” in verse 41. Some manuscripts state that “Jesus was indignant”. The Greek word for “compassion” in Mark 1:41 means “to have the bowels yearn, i.e. feel sympathy, to pity—have (be moved with) compassion”. The Greek word for “indignant” that occurs in a few places in the gospel means “to be greatly afflicted, i.e. (figuratively) indignant:— be much (sore) displeased, have (be moved with) indignation”. With either word in the gospel verse, Jesus was moved to act because of how he felt.

What did Jesus do in response to the man in need? Using the context clues of how Jesus responded through his actions, which word, “compassion” or “indignant,” seems most likely to be the correct word for verse 41?

 

Pray for the Holy Spirit to enable you to hear and see the cries of the wounded in our world, and the courage and grace to respond with the compassion of our God.

 

 

Friday (8/20)

Read Psalm 103 as a way to center your heart and mind in the Spirit of God as you prepare to receive the Lord’s message to you for today.

 

Read Matthew 14:12-14. What do these verse reveal about Jesus’ compassion?

 

Pray in response to Jesus’ compassion. If you are in need of mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, or relational healing, share your request with God. Pray for others in need of healing as well. Invite the Lord to enable the people of AUMC and Christians throughout the world to see those who are wounded around us, as well as the courage to respond with the compassion of Christ.

 

 

Saturday (8/21)

Read a portion of the lyrics from the hymn, “God Will Take Care of You”, as a reminder of the compassion of the Lord:

 

No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;

lean, weary one, upon his breast, God will take care of you.

God will take care of you, through every day, o’er all the way;

he will take care of you, God will take care of you.

 

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. What do these verses reveal about the compassion we receive from God?

 

Pray – If you are not in a season of needing comfort right now, think about some of the times you have needed comfort during your life, and how God has comforted you through the words and actions of others. Thank the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort for caring for you during your times of need. Invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to you who he wants you to comfort today, this weekend, or sometime in the near future. Share the comfort and compassion from God that you have received.

 

 

Consider observing the sabbath either today or tomorrow as a time to rest, reflect, and enjoy recreation. The questions below can be used to help with reflecting:

 

How did I see, hear, or encounter God during this past week?

 

Who needs to hear about my experience sometime in the coming days?

 

 

*If you do not have a Bible, consider downloading the YouVersion Bible App for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play for your smartphone or tablet. You can also use www.BibleGateway.com to look up and read various translations of Bible verses online on a computer.