This week in our Bible study together, we are talking about the divine burdens that God places on our hearts and how to respond to them. First, we saw the importance of paying attention to the burdens that God places on our hearts. We need to look around and pay attention to the hurts and needs around us. Next, we must pay attention, refusing to turn away from the burden God has placed on our hearts by focusing on the hurts and needs around us. Today, we will explore the next step in addressing the burdens God has placed in our lives: showing compassion and being moved by the needs around us.
When God placed a divine burden on Nehemiah's heart, we learn in the book of Nehemiah that he not only paid attention to that burden, but he also felt deep compassion. Nehemiah 1 tells us that God placed a deep burden on Nehemiah's heart for the walls of Jerusalem to be rebuilt. After decades and decades in Babylonian captivity as a result of their idolatry and sin, the Israelites were allowed to return home. Unfortunately, when they returned home, the Israelites did not make great progress when it came to settling back into their homeland. The walls of Jerusalem needed to be rebuilt. Eventually, Nehemiah, the cupbearer of the king, found out that the walls had still not been rebuilt. As he heard this, he paid attention. He knew that this was not good for the city of Jerusalem. It left them defenseless and vulnerable. As he considered this burden, he was deeply moved. Scripture tells us that Nehemiah "sat down and wept” when he heard this (verse 4). In fact, he “mourned, fasted, and prayed” for days (verse 4). In other words, he was deeply moved when he heard about the situation in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah's compassion serves as an example for each one of us to follow when God places divine burdens on our hearts. We must be people who live with deep compassion for those all around us, especially when God gives us divine burdens. John says it this way in the book of 1st John, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” (1st John 3:17). According to John in this passage of Scripture, compassion is a marker that the love of God is in us. As we show compassion, we also demonstrate the love of God to those around us. We must take our eyes off ourselves and think about the hurts, tragedies, and injustices all around us and be moved to compassion. As we cultivate compassion for the divine burdens God places on our hearts, our compassion will guide us toward action.
Think about the divine burden God has placed on your heart. As you think about this burden, take your eyes off yourself for a moment. Consider the people affected by the situation that you are burdened over and the profound needs they are facing. Let the divine burden God has placed on your heart move you to deep compassion, and let that compassion motivate you toward action.
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 2 Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.
4 Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 5 And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.
7 Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. 8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. 9 Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. 10 So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God.
11 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.
14 If we love our brothers and sisters who are believers, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead. 15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.
16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?
18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.
21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.
23 And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. 24 Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.
