We like to think we are tender-hearted, but sometimes we fail to appreciate what others are really going through. Compassion is more than tender-heartedness.

The Word of God became a man so that He could completely feel both joy and pain as mankind does. He put on the form of a servant to feel our frailty.

Just as love can be feigned to get a spouse's money or loyalty can be faked to attain a promotion, so can compassion be put on to gain sympathy, votes, and power.

Christians who 'sit out' opportunities to serve, becoming in effect couch potatoes, commit sins of omission which may lead to the Lake of Fire.

Our hearts may overflow with compassion for someone in need, and it could be in our power to help, but if we take no positive action, what good is it?

It is impossible to become perfect without having mercy or compassion. Jesus' command to become perfect includes showing compassion to our enemies.

Jesus teaches us how to deal with offenses and sins against us in this parable, focusing on our attitude of forgiveness because of being forgiven ourselves.

Mercy is an important dimension of God's character, displayed by our compassion on and forgiveness of those over whom we have power.

As we strive to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect, we should be as merciful as Our Heavenly Father, making mercy our default.

This well-known parable describes working compassion as contrasted to selfishness. It also clarifies just who is our neighbor.

When we become fixated on past resentment, we will never find opportunities to display mercy, enabling a repentant brother to move forward.

The parable of the Good Samaritan depicts a way of life God intends all His called-out Saints to follow.

'To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.' Forgiving and being forgiven are part of being a family.

It is easy to fall into the traps of judgmentalism, gossip, and unforgiveness. We must overcome our natural reactions and use forbearance in our relationships.

Driving out the evil must be followed by cultivating goodness and righteousness. An antidote to depression is to get our hearts focused on someone else.

Mercy is a virtue that has gone out of vogue, though it is sometimes admired. Jesus, however, places it among the most vital His followers should possess.

We must exercise longsuffering and kindness to all, including to those that have done ill to us. We are disciples of Christ if we love one another.

Micah provides a formula for being a Christian: 1.) Doing justly, 2.) Exercising mercy and 3.) Walking humbly. These demand total commitment, not a pretense.

The fifth fruit of the Spirit, kindness, reflects God's loving actions toward us. We in turn must learn to bestow kindness on others.

We are obligated to show compassion and mercy to all, refraining from gossip, exercising righteous judgment, forgiving others and applying the Golden Rule.

Forgiving, even when there is no apology, reflects the Father and Jesus Christ. The prodigal son is a story of the deep love we should have towards each other.

The movie Ben-Hur captures the essence of the time and ministry of Christ. By letting go of anger and hatred, we take on the yoke of Jesus Christ.

We desperately need to internalize the godly traits of kindness, mercy, compassion, and tenderness, displacing the carnal traits of bitterness and wrath.

Because kindness is love in action, we must galvanize our thoughts into concrete behaviors, including offering encouraging words and performing uplifting deeds.

Our forgiveness from God is conditional, depending upon our forgiving others. It is an opportunity for us to extend grace, sacrificing as Christ did for us.

The healing of the centurion's servant is one of only two miracles that Jesus did for Gentiles, and He is especially taken with the Roman officer's faith.

We need to nurture fellowship with our spiritual siblings, forgiving others as Christ forgave, steadfastly resisting pride and division within the church.

The harsh religion of the Pharisees was unfeeling, placing more attention on rituals and man-made laws, and had turned their super-righteousness into sin.

God has chosen the weak and base things of the world, yet we can still sacrifice our personal concerns for the greater good just as our Savior did.

We learn to love God by first loving our parents. Our first lessons in loving our neighbors happen within what should be the friendly confines of the family.

Jesus set the bar very high when it comes to love. We no longer live for ourselves, but to Christ, who commands us to love everyone, including our enemies.

We will become united as we draw closer to God. If we regard a brother in Christ as a competitor rather than as a trusted ally, unity will be impossible.

God's way of giving is true altruism, and while we will never attain to such a perfect standard, He exhorts us to develop this characteristic.

The feeding of the 5,000 tells us far more than that Jesus was a miracle-worker. It also reveals Christ's compassion on those who hunger, plus His ability to teach.

Jesus' resurrection of His friend Lazarus from the dead proved to be the final straw for the Jews who were trying to kill Him.

True peacemaking means emulating Christ, which that involves promoting justice and righteousness, not merely avoiding conflict or appeasing by compromising.

When we find our proper niche of service in the body of Christ, we will experience more joy and fun than a human being ought to be allowed.

God is actively involved in the lives of His people. The command to love our God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves cannot be carried out passively.

The gospels present Jesus performing three resurrections, one of which is the raising of the widow's son. The episode shows the depth of Christ's compassion.

We are obligated to emulate God's mercy, as well as kindness, forbearance, and judgment. As we extend heartfelt compassion, God will extend mercy to us.

Micah 5 describes legal proceedings against the people who have rejected God, promising a harsh retribution but future restoration for a physical remnant.

Communism presents itself as high-minded in its redistribution of wealth, producing prosperity for all. However, reality belies collectivist theory.