ACTS: A Way to Live

Tuesday, March 15

ACTS: A Way to Live

The Gospel of Luke—Lent 2022

Read Luke 7:11-17

Focus Verse—Luke 7:12-13

Now as he (Jesus) approached the gate of the city, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a sizeable crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, he felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.”

ACTion for Reflection: Living Compassionately

As Jesus and his disciples are walking in the city of Nain, the woman (a widow), crying, grieving, mourning, destitute, bereaved is exiting Nain following her dead son’s coffin. Jesus was attentive to what was going on around him as he was entering the city at the same time. His eyes were wide open and then filled with tears of sorrow when they met the women’s eyes. He was filled with genuine, intense grief and compassion. He saw her pain and decided to stop and comfort her. Compassion was a part of who Jesus was and a part of the mission he came to complete.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “compassion” as “the sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” Notice, it’s not just feeling sorry for someone…it’s a desire to alleviate the distress, pain or sorrow. God has shown us with concrete examples from the Word that compassion is even more! In today’s lesson we learn how to be fully compassionate by going one step further than just desiring to do something. Jesus teaches us to stop and actually do something. Be attentive and be moved with compassion to help meet a person’s need. Even if it is a situation that you really can’t do anything about (such as the blind, crippled, etc.), you can pray and show your support.

ACTion to Live Out: Act with a compassionate heart

An idea for today is to commit to and then act by supporting someone who needs a little compassion shown towards them. Whether they need money, errands run for them, someone to simply visit with them because they are lonely...whatever they need, commit to acting with a compassionate heart.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank you for teaching us how to live! After we daily reflect on your life-giving words, help us to then, through your Spirit, get up and ACT. Give us hearts of compassion, hands of generosity, and feet that take your good news to the world. What an honor it is to be your image bearer. Amen.

Audio of Luke 7: https://youtu.be/rsdZqohQX24