Category Archives: Compassionate

Compassionate, Encouragement, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Loneliness, Loving / Kind, Peace / Rest, Seeking God, Strong in Our Weakness, Worry/Anxiety

Come To Me, All Who Are Weary and Heavy-Laden

Yeshua (Hebrew name for Jesus) came to be among us for our benefit, not for His. He lived to show us how we should live. He took on Himself the punishment for our sin and died to pay for our transgressions. He rose again, overcoming the grave, and is now with the Father. Nothing is beyond His power. He still loves those who follow after Him. He welcomes those who are weary and heavy-laden. He offers us rest.

Matthew 11:28-30

      28“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. 30“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Notice that Yeshua speaks about rest for our souls. He does not mean that we can be lazy and physically do very little. This has never been the intent. We can find peace and rest for our souls through Jesus Christ.

Many read this scripture and misunderstand because they do not understand farming. I misunderstood for years. When Jesus says to take His yoke upon us, He is not asking us to pull a burden for Him. Quite the opposite. A yoke is a tool that enables more than one animal to work together to pull the load. He offers for us to put on His yoke so that He will help us with our burdens! When He is helping us, the burden is light, despite all of our difficulties. The yoke  does not remove the work or burden. It allows someone else to help you do the work or shoulder the burden.

Take care not to overlook that we must come to Him. He will not force Himself on us. It must be a conscious choice on our part to seek Him. We will still have to deal with all the troubles that life has to offer, but when we share Yeshua’s yoke, He helps us bear the load. We can find peace and rest for our souls no matter what we are dealing with.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Character of God, Compassionate, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Loving / Kind, Slow to Anger, Speaking, Through Prophets, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

How Would You Describe God? How Does He Describe Himself?

How would you describe God? Do you know how He describes Himself? The better we know Him, the more consistent our view of Him is with how He describes Himself.

The relationship that Moses experienced with Jehovah was quite amazing. Each time I read it, I think I appreciate the significance even  more. Moses became a righteous man and as he did so, God allowed Him closer and closer to His holy presence. Moses did not start out holy as if by birth. Not so. He had an anger problem and murdered a man. He lacked self confidence and even refused to obey God’s call at first to lead the people out of Egypt. Over the course of his lifetime, Moses became more obedient to God, more righteous. Moses experienced God in a personal way that most will never experience on this earth.

Exodus 34:1-9

The Two Tablets Replaced

      1Now the LORD said to Moses, “Cut out for yourself two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered. 2“So be ready by morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain. 3“No man is to come up with you, nor let any man be seen anywhere on the mountain; even the flocks and the herds may not graze in front of that mountain.” 4So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the LORD had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. 5The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. 6Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. 9He said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession.”

Not only can we reflect on this scripture and see the relationship Moses had with Jehovah, but we get insight into how Jehovah describes Himself!

compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth, righteous judge for the guilty

Jehovah is indeed all these things. Sometimes we do not recognize the traits because we see things from our own, very limited, perspective instead of from God’s eternal perspective. We may act as if we, instead of God, are the center of all things and then we can’t seem to understand why things work out how they do. Truth is that this creation, our lives… are not just about “us”. They are about our relationship with our Creator and Father. While we may not have the same relationship Jehovah that Moses achieved, we should seek Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and strive to draw near to our loving Father in heaven.

The best way to come to know Him, is through Jesus Christ, the living example of God among us. That is a big part of why Jesus came to live among us and why it is documented so well in the Bible. Study, pray, and seek fellowship with other true believers who follow after Christ in thought and deed rather than only with words.

As you grow in faith and wisdom, you will see that your understanding of God will more and more align with how He describes Himself.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Father / Yahweh, Grace / Forgiveness, His Ways Are Not Our Ways

I Will Be Gracious to Whom I Will Be Gracious

Jehovah invites us to come and know Him through the person of Jesus Christ. He invites us to personal relationship if we choose to follow Him above all other things. He offers us His holy presence in this life and in eternity thereafter. But in all things we must not take it for granted. We are not owed any such consideration from our Creator. We can not earn this kind of compassion and grace. Our relationship with our Father in heaven is a gift… a free gift. It is given at the discretion of the one who gives it.

Exodus 33:19

19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

Romans 9:14-16

14What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! 15For He says to Moses, “I WILL HAVE MERCY ON WHOM I HAVE MERCY, AND I WILL HAVE COMPASSION ON WHOM I HAVE COMPASSION.” 16So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.

Take care never to take Jehovah’s offer for granted. We are not better than those who do not know Him, it is by the grace of God Himself that we have come to know Him. He has revealed Himself to us. Give thanks and praise to our Father in heaven for all that He provides and offers!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Fear / Reverence for God, Help / Serve Others, Holy, Interceding for Others, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Speaking, Through Prophets

Moses Intercedes Again For The People

If you read the preceding chapters you will refresh yourself on the sin and rebellion of God’s people against God when Moses went up Mount Sinai to be with Yahweh. Moses interceded with God on behalf of the people and God spared them by not destroying them. There were consequences and the people were kept at a distance from God due to their sin. God remained close Moses and Joshua, the righteous.

Now we see Moses intercede again on behalf of the people, that they would have the continued presence of God among them.

Exodus 33:12-23

Moses Intercedes

      12Then Moses said to the LORD, “See, You say to me, ‘Bring up this people!’ But You Yourself have not let me know whom You will send with me. Moreover, You have said, ‘I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.’ 13“Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.” 14And He said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. 16“For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”

      17The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.” 20But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” 21Then the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; 22and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. 23“Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”

Moses found favor in the sight of God. Moses was a righteous and faithful servant. As such, he drew near to God and God to him. When he interceded on behalf of the people, God listened because of this relationship and favor.

If we choose not to seek after God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, do not expect to be able to effectively intercede for others. When you do draw near to God and wish to intercede, remain focused not only on the people, but also on God and His name… His kingdom… His glory.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Compassionate, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Love, Loving / Kind

Law of God Is Based on Love For God and Others; It Is Not Bondage

Many look for ways to interpret God’s laws as harsh or irrelevant. Let us be careful not to begin with a biased opinion based on what is taught by man about God’s law. Instead, let us read God’s word to understand what He shows us about His law. The law and commands of God are based on loving God and loving others.

Matthew 22:36-40

36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He [Jesus] said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

The law of God is not bondage from which we must be set free. May it never be. The law is perfect. It sets us free from sin!

Psalm 19:7

   7The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.

Psalm 119:44-45

     44So I will keep Your law continually,
Forever and ever.

      45And I will walk at liberty,
For I seek Your precepts.

Obeying God’s law leads to blessing; rebelling against it to a curse. The law is provided for our benefit, to guide us in the right ways… not as bondage!

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

     26“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: 27the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; 28and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known.

Let us look at an example in Exodus 21. God spoke to His people about slavery. This scripture is often misunderstood. We think of slavery as cruel and forced bondage without hope. The slavery we are familiar with in the United States is different than that from Israel’s past. Without dwelling on that detailed study here… just watch how God’s focus is protecting the rights of those who may be subjected to slavery. God was providing protection and a path to freedom, if desired. God’s law provided amazing consideration for how to treat slaves for their protection.

Exodus 21:1-11

      1“Now these are the ordinances which you are to set before them:

      2“If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment. 3“If he comes alone, he shall go out alone; if he is the husband of a wife, then his wife shall go out with him. 4“If his master gives him a wife, and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall belong to her master, and he shall go out alone. 5“But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife and my children; I will not go out as a free man,’ 6then his master shall bring him to God, then he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him permanently.

      7“If a man sells his daughter as a female slave, she is not to go free as the male slaves do. 8“If she is displeasing in the eyes of her master who designated her for himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He does not have authority to sell her to a foreign people because of his unfairness to her. 9“If he designates her for his son, he shall deal with her according to the custom of daughters. 10“If he takes to himself another woman, he may not reduce her food, her clothing, or her conjugal rights. 11“If he will not do these three things for her, then she shall go out for nothing, without payment of money.

God’s law was not telling people to have slaves, but protecting and caring for those individuals who may find themselves in that situation. Providing hope and a path to freedom and care for their families. God’s law showed the Israelites how to love one another in that circumstance.

Let us prayerfully reflect on the love of God and love of others that is the solid foundation of all of God’s laws and commands. Let us not be quick to discard His law, but rather seek to understand it in proper context.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.