Mind of Christ: Ep 10: The Heartbeat of Heaven: Compassion in Action

0:10 Welcome to the Morris Perspective. I'm your host, Connie Morris, retired police officer, educator, author, and a voice for change. At the Morris Perspective, we confront uncomfortable realities, laugh when life demands it, and recover the history they hope we would forget. This is real talk for real people. Welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host, Connie Morris. And today we're going to continue our series, Faith on the Go. The topic is the heartbeat of heaven and it's titled Compassion, right? The heartbeat of heaven, compassion. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God, by the word of God.

0:53 So I hope that your faith is being built up as you listen to this podcast. Hope you've been encouraged to seek God for the mind of Christ. And I hope you're having some results as you are obeying him, walking in humility, and doing all those things that Jesus said, only doing what the Father said. And that's why this space was created, for your quiet moments, for your work days, for your commutes, and those in between places and spaces where your spirit needs to be refilled or recharged. Faith on the Go is for those times when you're fighting battles not yet won, but already finished in Christ. It's for the ones who keep believing, keep pressing, and keep walking, even when the road gets long.

1:37 So wherever you go today, wherever you are, settle in and let the word of God strengthen your faith while you are on the go. We're at day 10, the heartbeat of heaven, the mind of compassion. Key scripture is found in Mark 1. 41, it says, moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. I am willing, he said, be clean. Every miracle Jesus performed flowed from heaven, from compassion. It wasn't duty, performance, or reputation that moved him. It was love. When the leopard came to him desperate and broken, everyone else stepped back, but Jesus stepped forward.

2:21 He did what no one else dared to dude. He touched him. He touched him. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. Mark 1 41. These words are more than history. They're revelation. Compassion doesn't just see pain. It reaches into it. When the widow of Nain walked beside her son's coffin, Jesus saw her tears and said, don't cry. He touched the coffin and the boy sat up. Luke 7 13 to 15. When he saw the hungry multitude, he told the disciples, you give them something to eat, Matthew 14, 16.

3:01 Every time compassion moved him, heaven moved with him. His heart wasn't hardened by the crowd. It was broken for them. That's what made his ministry. Unstoppable. The mind of Christ doesn't just sympathize, it responds. Compassion is love translated into action. It's the bridge between seeing a need and meeting it. In Matthew 9, 36, Jesus looked up upon the crowd and had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. This wasn't pity, it was purpose. His compassion compelled him to teach, heal, and deliver.

3:43 Compassion keeps us from becoming spiritually numb in a world overflowing with need. When we feel moved to act, to call, to give, to pray, to comfort, that's not coincidence. That's the Holy Spirit inviting us to mirror Jesus' heart. Ephesians 4.32 said, be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as Christ forgave you. Compassion is the heartbeat of heaven. It keeps love alive in a world that has grown cold. Reminds you that ministry isn't a stage, it's a touch. Sometimes compassion looks like feeding the hungry, sometimes like praying for the sick, sometimes like forgiving the undeserving.

4:29 Every action of compassion whispers, I see you, God still cares. Ask yourself, when was the last time I allow compassion to interrupt my schedule? Do I feel people's pain or have I become too busy to notice them? Is there someone near me that God is asking me to reach out to instead of retreat from? Let's walk it out like Jesus. How would Jesus do this? What would Jesus do? Number one, let compassion interrupt you. Jesus stopped mid-journey to heal and help. Mark 5 30. Don't rush past divine moments. Number two, touch the untouchable. Whenever it's a lonely neighbor or a struggling friend, reach out instead of pulling away.

5:17 Number three, give what you have. The boy's lunch fed thousands because it was placed in Jesus' hand. John 6, 9 through 11. Compassion multiplies generosity. Number four, speak life, not pity. Jesus didn't say poor thing. He said rise. Luke 7, 14. Your words can restore dignity and hope. And number five, let prayer become action. Compassion begins in prayer, but must end in purpose. James 2, 15 to 17. Walking it out like Jesus requires us to be so connected to God that those divine moments, we don't slip by.

6:01 And you have to ask him, Lord, who do I need to touch today? How can compassion interrupt me? What can I do to make this day better for somebody else? What words can I use to encourage someone? How can I put this into action? How can I put this mind of Christ devotional into action? Not just on paper, not just in my mind, but how can I show the glory of God through me today? Let's pray. Father, thank you for showing me your heart through Jesus. Teach me to love the way he loved, not from a distance, but up close. Soften my heart to the needs around me. Let me be your hands that heal, your voice that comforts, your presence that reassures and restores.

6:47 Break me free from selfishness and stir in me a compassion that moves me to action. In Jesus' name, amen. I decree I have the mind of Christ. My heart beats with compassion. I am moved by love, not convenience. Where others turn away, I step forward. Every act of kindness I shall become a reflection of heaven. On earth? Reflection question, who in your life is waiting for compassion to show up through you? And how can you tangibly demonstrate the love of Christ today? How can you do that? Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.

7:29 What are you doing with your faith? You've been listening to Faith on the Go with your host, Connie Morris, from the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I pray this word energized your faith and reminded you of God's promise to restore and heal. And he said he's going to do it through you. Why? Because Isaiah 55, 11 tells us that his word should not return void. Believers will lay hands on the sick and they should recover. Believers, if you're a believer, go heal the sick. Philippians 1, 6 tells us, he who began a work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. What does he need to complete in you?

8:11 And it reminds me of is when I see a person, I had a person come into my office and she was a mess. I mean, she was sick. And before she came into my office, she had been throwing up and vomiting every 15 minutes. And so my boss was concerned. People at the front desk was concerned. I just, what I did would say, I told her, put a mask on. I put a mask on, one of those nice masks. I didn't know what she was dealing with. I put on my gloves. And I ended up, as I was putting on her bracelet, I put on these GPS monitor bracelets. And as I was putting that bracelet on, I just touched her skin with my gloves.

8:52 And I just began to pray for her quietly. And it was really quiet because our offices, even though we have doors, people are just always listening in. But I didn't want to make a scene. Remember, I don't want to be famous. I want God famous. And so I prayed for her quietly and we had a little discussion afterwards. I put her bracelet on. And then she said, I heard that prayer and I receive it. I want to live long and strong and see my grandchildren grow up. She said that with her words. And I said, you will, you will. And she began to tell me what her sickness was. She has kind of like cirrhosis of the liver, some very serious stuff that she had going on.

9:32 And I just said, I just believe that you're going to be healed. And the next day I saw her, she had her makeup on and looking cute. And then I kept seeing her. But remember, I'm not running after her. Are you feeling what's going on? I just watched God begin to heal this lady immediately because she said, this is the first time I haven't vomited in 15 minutes since I've been in your office. What? Come on now. What? So God wants to use you. So let him complete what he started. And it's like, if you don't use it, he can't use it. It's like, if you always have a full tank of gas and you never drive anywhere, you will always have a full tank of gas. But if you're using that tank of gas to heal the sick, restore the broken, walk in forgiveness, walk in the mind of Christ, that tank is suddenly going to be empty.

10:21 That gives God something to feel. It's supernatural, right? It's super on your natural so that you can do those things that God has wanted you to do from the beginning. Remember, we are on assignment. We are on assignment. People are needing you. And sometimes the places where you work, you can't always do it out loud. But you can say, can we step outside for a minute? Or can we go walk or for a walk? I mean, you know how to get away from your desk where people are listening and do what God's called you to do. I want you to be encouraged that God will finish what he has started in you. Use it. What is he telling you to do? So keep believing, keep praying, and keep trusting because God will finish.

11:04 For he has started. Until I see you again, God bless you. Thank you for listening to this episode. And before we close out, I want to speak a word of promise over you from Jeremiah 29, 11 through 14. Father God, you declared, I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. So today we received that truth. You said when we call on you, you will listen. So we pray. You said that when we seek you with our hearts, you will be found. So we pursue. You said you will restore us from captivity.

11:44 So we declare freedom over every place where our listeners feel stuck, silenced, or small. Thank you for always drawing near when we show up in faith. In Jesus' name, amen.