God's love inside us - Matthew 14:14

Matt 14:14 "Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick."

If we want to be used by God to do mighty things, it has to start inside us. The impetus to heal starts with compassion inside, empathy for people in their hurt and pain. This is not something you can "fake it till you make it". It comes from the inside out.

God is love (1). When we surrender to Jesus, he comes to live inside us (2), and our spirit is transformed to be like his. We are encouraged to have the same thought motivation that Jesus had (3). The sacrificial love that led him to leave heaven, become a person like us, and ultimately pay the supreme price for our total healing in spirit, soul and body (4).

How do we get that love? It is something that God shares when he makes his home in us (5).  It is the primary fruit of having the Holy Spirit dwelling inside (6). So this evidence of God's presence should be evident in the Christian life.

Now, maybe we have truly received Jesus into our life, and yet do not feel that compassion for the hurting.  How could this be?

We are a product of our heredity and our past.  Many of us have experienced emotional hurt and pain, and as a consequence built up protective walls to stop us being hurt in the future. These are not literal walls, but thought patterns in our mind. At some point we learned to shut off emotion and feeling, as a protection. As we progress through life we now find difficulty feeling and expressing emotion. 

If we are to be God's hands and feet, we need to feel his love for this hurting world (7).  This inability to feel compassion for others needs healing, if we are to move forward in God's purpose for us. How?

Jesus paid the price so we may be healed. Both physically and emotionally. 

Just as forgiveness for sin requires confession and repentance, healing of our emotions also requires confession that we have a problem, and a determination to live differently, allowing God's love to shine through.

We may need pastoral counseling to work through this.  We may feel ashamed that we, as a Christian, need help with something seemingly so basic. Please know there is no shame in changing to be more like Christ.  But it may require taking a step, reaching out for help. Feel free to contact us if you need this.  

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NOTES

1. 1 John 4:8

2. John 14:17, 23

3. Philippians 2:5

4. Philippians 2:5-8

5. Colossians 1:27

6. Galatians 5:22-23

7. 1 John 4:10-11, 20-21