BE COMPASSIONATE

Tuesday – September 27, 2022

Posted

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.’” – Zechariah 7:9

In 1936, author George Orwell left Britain to fight in the Spanish Civil War. When he was in Barcelona, he was interviewed and said “‘I've come to fight against Fascism’, but if someone had asked him what he was fighting for, I should have answered: ‘Common decency’”.

Years after the Spanish civil war, Orwell used to tell the tale of his refusal to kill a Fascist soldier.  Crawling close to the enemy trenches, he caught a fascist soldier. Crawling close to the enemy trenches, he fixed a fascist in his rifle sights who was holding up his trousers as he ran.  Compassionately, Orwell could not pull the trigger.  “I had come here to shoot at 'Fascists'; but a man who is holding up his trousers isn't a 'Fascist', he is visibly a fellow creature." 

The Lord puts us in situations every day where we are to be compassionate to others and to demonstrate the love of God. Today in prayer, ask the Lord how you can be more compassionate to others.

“Do you wish to receive mercy? Show mercy to your neighbor?” – John Chrysostom

God’s Word: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill, and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” – Matthew 23:23