We know that Jesus Christ carried the Grace of God and a deep compassion for His people. We are sure it is possible for us to do the same today.
Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. – Luke 9:23
Jesus tells to us ‘deny yourself, pick up your cross daily and follow me.’ What might this look like for us today? Could we find a way to resonate daily with the same love and grace the Messiah carried, when He walked the earth just a couple of thousand years ago?
I guess another question to ask ourselves is how would we pick up our cross? Perhaps it is due to our personal revelation of the person of Jesus through the Word, that leads us into a space where we feel the burden of His genuine compassion for humanity. When we get to know who Jesus is, we may become compelled to live a life that resonates with Him. And then, we might find that we encounter more and more everyday opportunities to minister His grace into different situations. For example, we could minister grace through our incredible patience while on the road. Or we could acknowledge someone who simply needs to be heard or seen with a smile.
Jesus, our model and example
Jesus is our most beautiful example, when it comes to living out the call of grace in our daily lives. It amazes us that the shortest verse in scripture, found in John 11:35, portrays a raw human moment where Jesus felt deeply moved with compassion for one of his friends. “Jesus wept” for His friend, Lazarus because He loved him so deeply (verse 36). Even though, the Messiah would have known Lazarus would soon be alive.
We encourage you to pray this prayer and ask God to stir a new compassion and love within you:
Dear Lord Jesus, “Begin in mercy a new work of love within me.” May I be clothed with your compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience all the days of my life. In Jesus precious name, Amen.
(Prayer adapted from Titus 2:11 and A.W. Tozer’s, ‘The pursuit of God’)
