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Dale Rockwell

Monthly Archives: March 2016

Hearts Before Hands

24 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by dalerockwell in Compassion, Help, Need

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Compassion, Love, Opportunity

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Photo taken by my son, Matthew Rockwell, after the Nepal earthquake.  His compassion has moved him to form Nepal Grassroots Recovery.  Check it out on Facebook.

You have a tender heart. You see a need and take action.  You have compassion.

You have a closed heart. You see a need BUT take no action.  You lack compassion.

Why do you lack compassion?

  1. You don’t have enough time.
  2. You don’t have enough resources.
  3. You don’t know where or how to begin.
  4. You don’t want someone to take advantage of you.
  5. You don’t want to enable bad choices.

Are these valid reasons or mere excuses?

  1. The Good Samaritan stopped what he was doing and made time to help.
  2. The Good Samaritan used the resources he had available at the time.
  3. The Good Samaritan took the first step, and then another and then another.
  4. The Good Samaritan gave without thought of repayment.
  5. The Good Samaritan gave without thought of worthiness.

Compassion is first a matter of the heart.  Is your heart tender or hard?  When you see a need, do you desire to help?

You cannot meet every need you see.  If you think you can, you are not really seeing the people around you.  You have limited amounts of time, energy and resources at your disposal.  But that is not an excuse to do nothing.

Instead of thinking about what you don’t have, think about what you do have.  Are you generous with your time?  Are you generous with your resources?  or do you spend all your time and resources on yourself and your family?  If you’re not generous with what you do have, you’ll never be generous with what you hope to have.

An open heart leads to open hands.

It is never convenient to serve others.  It always takes time and resources.

So as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Colossians 3:12

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Compassion is a Choice

22 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by dalerockwell in Choice, Compassion, Love

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Choice, Compassion, Love

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A life of compassion begins with seeing.  But seeing isn’t compassion.

Seeing forces choice.

  • See and be moved vs. see and be unmoved.

Jesus saw the distressed people and was moved to provide.  Matthew 9:36

  • See and open your heart vs. see and close your heart.

The Good Samaritan saw the half dead man and went to him.  In sharp contrast, the priest and the Levite also saw the half dead man but they chose to pass by on the other side. Luke 10:32-34

  • See and run toward vs. see and run from.

 The father of the prodigal son saw him and ran to him.  But the brother of the prodigal son was not willing to go to the house and join the celebration.  Luke 15:25-28 

Once we see, we are forced to choose.  We can open our hearts or we can close our hearts. But choose, we will.  Choose wisely today.  Ignoring what we see is a choice in and of itself.

 

 

I Desire Compassion

19 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by dalerockwell in Compassion, Opportunity

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Compassion, Opportunity

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I was recently asked to speak at Good News Bible Church about compassion.  As I contemplated what to say, I realized my concept of compassion was a little fuzzy.

Compassion feels like a warm fuzzy kind of word.  But what does the Bible teach about compassion?  Is it a feeling?  Is it an action?

Compassion matters to Jesus.  He would rather have your compassion than your sacrifice.  Jesus said, “But go and learn what this means:  I desire compassion and not sacrifice,”  Matthew 9:13

Seeing Precedes Compassion

  • Jesus saw

Seeing the people, Jesus felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited, like sheep without a shepherd.  Matthew 9:36

  • The Good Samaritan saw

But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion.  Luke 10:33

  • The father of the Prodigal Son saw

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.  Luke 15:20

The first step toward a life of compassion is seeing.  Are you too busy to see?

Let me encourage you today to see the people who are all around you.  Lift your eyes up and look – really look!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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gmdoore@myfairpoint.… on Being Still is Hard Work
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  • Being Still is Hard Work
  • A Great Marriage Doesn’t Just Happen
  • He Can’t Read Your Mind!
  • Get in the Chase!

Recent Comments

gmdoore@myfairpoint.… on Being Still is Hard Work
dalerockwell on He Can’t Read Your …
rmschoener@comcast.n… on He Can’t Read Your …
dalerockwell on He Can’t Read Your …
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Categories

  • Anger
  • Change
  • Children
  • Choice
  • Church
  • Compassion
  • Despair
  • Doubt
  • Encouragement
  • Endurance
  • Envy
  • Faith
  • Faithfulness
  • Faitih
  • Fear
  • Forgiveness
  • Future
  • Gift
  • God's Will
  • God's Word; Bible
  • Gospel
  • Grace
  • Gratitude
  • Greed
  • Grief
  • Grow
  • Grumbling
  • Heart
  • Heaven
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  • Husband
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