Be Compassionate

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Ephesians 4:32

In the context of Ephesians 4:17-32, Paul is urging believers in Christ to lay aside or “put off” the old way of living and to be made like new or “renewed” in their attitude so they can “put on” what God desires for them, true righteousness and holiness.

Part of what God desires for us in our relationships with others is to “be compassionate to one another.” Being compassionate means to be tender hearted toward each other. Some descriptive words for being “tender hearted” would be: gentle, sympathetic, sensitive and benevolent.

Christmastime is a natural time of year for our compassion to be manifested in our relationships with others, but Paul isn’t just talking about one season of the year. He is urging us to have this attitude of compassion toward others all the time. In fact, the word “be” denotes “to become” which means we are growing to be or turning out to be.

So as we approach the celebration of Christ’s coming, let us remember that God desires us to be more like Him in our relationships with others, listening to others with a sensitive attitude and gentleness of spirit.

Think of one person in your life that you desire to “be compassionate” toward today. Become God’s tender heart to that person!