Three Ways to Grow in Compassion

“Should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left?”

Jonah 4:4-11

Here are three ways we can grow in compassion:

1. Rejoice in God’s unique creation
Every person you meet is God’s unique creation. When you see someone on a train, at the store, or in school, say to yourself, God cares about this person, and He has placed me next to them. This doesn’t mean God will save all people. It does mean that He cares about all people, even His enemies. Try to show kindness to all people, especially those whose beliefs or behaviour may offend you. When you show compassion to all, you reflect the heart of God.

2. Reflect on our human condition
Here are three ways the Bible describes our human condition:

a) Spiritually blind (2 Cor. 4:4). It is not just that unbelievers don’t want to see. They cannot see the glory of Jesus or the wisdom of God’s law. b) Spiritually bound (Jn. 8:34). Sinners may be able to change the form of their sins, but they cannot stop being sinners. c) Spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1). By nature, we are unresponsive to God. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him” (Jn. 6:44).

3. Engage in Christ’s redeeming mission
When the king heard God’s Word, he sat down, he repented, and he said, “Let everyone turn from his evil way… God may… turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish” (Jon. 3:6, 8-9). Jonah also sat down. He “went out of the city… and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city” (4:5).

Although the king is a new believer, he is actively pleading with God for the salvation of his city. While the prophet, who is a mature believer, is sitting outside, passively watching. Hearts grow cold on the sidelines of ministry, because compassion is more than a feeling. It is love in action.

What step could you take today to cultivate more compassion for a lost world?