Seeing, Feeling, Doing

A devotional in Our Daily Bread this week focuses on Matthew 9:35-38.

Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (ESV)

There was a sidebar to the devotional that pointed to a pattern Jesus exhibited throughout his life on earth. He saw, he felt, and he did. 

What an example for us as we go about our daily lives. Many times, Christians feel the need to get out there and do God's work, without stopping first to see what it is that God is presenting to us as opportunities. Even worse, sometimes we see some kind of need and then rush off to do something, anything, without really feeling, without pausing to feel the compassion that God has for those on whom we may be about to foist our do-gooder-ness. 

To pause, to pray, to really start looking at the world around us and then to feel compassion for both the physical and spiritual needs of others...those are things God calls us to do before we rush off willy-nilly to try to somehow solve the world's problems on our own.