Loving Well

Acts 10:38 tells us that, "Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

Jesus "went around doing good."

Then so must I.

Because this living must be all about finding out what Jesus did - and doing that. Unpacking what Jesus said - and saying that.

I cannot afford to live any other way.

And so today I list out the things I see Him doing when it comes to loving other people.

1 Peter 3:8 tells us that we are to, "Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude..."

Loving well is loving like Jesus.

And scripture offers us a glimpse into how well He loved. He was not only our redeemer, but our pattern. The One we are to emulate and imitate.

Jesus did many things, and listed here are three very specific examples of His nature and character that we must learn to reproduce.

Jesus was moved with compassion.

Jesus didn't merely offer sympathy... but rather was "moved with compassion" for others. Some verses tell us that His heart "melted with compassion." (John 11:33). Mark 1:41 even tells us that Jesus was, "moved with compassion" for a man and angry toward his disease.

And movement with compassion for Jesus always resulted in healing, deliverance, resurrection, and supernatural provision.

Something changed about the current condition of a person or the current climate of a situation when Jesus came on the scene.

Jesus offered redemptive solutions.

If Jesus would have offered sympathy, it would not have been enough. While sympathy extends an ear, it often withholds a hand. It does little in the way of offering an out, a solution for the current concern.

Offering redemptive solutions is presenting a gift of hope to the hurting. It's living dissatisfied with anything less than all Jesus died for us to have - freedom, joy, peace, victory!

Jesus enter into other's experience.

The Greek word for compassion is sumpatheó. Sum meaning something equally shared. Pathos meaning feelings, affection, passion.

It is to share feelings or emotions.

Jesus offered more than a sympathetic ear or even verbal sympathy to a wounded and broken individual. He felt the pain, wore the pain, and even experienced the pain.

He entered into other's experience giving grace to the case at hand.

Real love doesn't sit idly by and watch another struggle.

And so we must live like Jesus.

We must be moved with compassion and offer redemptive solutions while entering into one another's experiences.

It all matters.