Jesus, in spite of his busy calender, never failed to keep in mind His prime directive - to seek and save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10). In the midst of his busyness, He took the time to lift up His eyes and see the multitudes. The Bible goes on to say, “And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shephard.”

When I get busy, I tend to forget the most imprtant reason why I’m here- my prime directive: to make more and better disciples. (Matt 23:18-20)! In fact, unlike Jesus, the busier I become, the more I lose compassion for the lost. It doesn’t take much for the multitudes to become more of a stumbling block to impede my effectiveness rather than a reason for becoming effective….A long line is an obstacle rather than an opportunity.

The truth is, compassion cannot be something pushed on us from obligation, it is something that comes out from within. In fact, the world “compassion” used of Jesus in this passage literally means “bowels” - it is something you feel in your gut….

I cannot accept that if we love Jesus we will be able to sit back and sunbathe while millions all arounds us drown. I believe that the reason we don’t feel compassion is that we don’t really see the multitudes are indeed drowning.


-Niel Cole; Cultivating a Life for God