Healthy Relationships - Empathy And Compassion (Daily Devotional)

Welcome everyone! We all know that for us to have a good relationship, a healthy relationship with people that we must love them, serve them, honor them and one of the important aspects is to also carry empathy and compassion or in other words be sensitive to the needs of people and reach out to them, help them out.

We see this example in the life of Jesus. Jesus did many miracles but the motivating factor or the driving force behind His supernatural works was the fact that He had compassion for the people and that's why He did what He did. Let's read from Philippians chapter 2, verses 3 and 4, the instruction of apostle Paul is, ‘do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each one of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interests of others’. In the world, people are wired to just take care of themselves, but we see what the Bible teaches us. And this is not just to be concerned about ourselves but to also think of others and their needs. God wants us to take care of the interests of others. Others also have interests and it's God's Spirit who can help us to recognize these things and walk in humility and walk in honor in every single one of our relationships. Now there are many scriptures that call for us to consider others. Matthew chapter 7, verse 12 where the scripture tells us that ‘do to others what you want to have them do to you.’ So, carrying this kind of a mindset where we care for others just the way we care for ourselves. Yes, we must love ourselves because that's what the Bible teaches us that we must love others the way we love ourselves. So, there's a right way of loving ourselves but at the same time, there is a way of loving others and serving others. In Matthew chapter 20, Jesus spoke about this and He said that we ought to serve because even Jesus came to serve and not to be served. We as believers, need to display empathy and compassion towards people. Empathy and compassion will lead us to good works and good works can be of all kinds. Good works can start with an encouragement, good works can start with prayer, good works can start with meeting the needs of other people, good works can start with pursuing the Lord, contending for the power of the cross in people's lives. And so, this is how you and I can think of others, consider others, serve others and as we do this, surely our relationships will be strengthened.

Let's pray together, Father, we thank you that you thought of us, you considered us and you felt for us. Lord, as we walk with people, help us to carry that empathy just the way you did and to carry compassion so that we can represent you well and your name can be glorified, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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