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Be Full of Compassion, August 21
Being a God Neighbor
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious,
and full of compassion, and righteous.
Psalm 112:4
Wherever there is an impulse of love and sympathy, wherever the
heart reaches out to bless and uplift others, there is revealed the working
of God’s Holy Spirit. In the depths of heathenism men who have had no
knowledge of the written law of God, who have never even heard the
name of Christ, have been kind to His servants, protecting them at the
risk of their own lives. Their acts show the working of a divine power.
The Holy Spirit has implanted the grace of Christ in the heart of the
savage, quickening his sympathies contrary to his nature, contrary to his
education....
Christ is seeking to uplift all who will be lifted to companionship
with Himself, that we may be one with Him as He is one with the Father.
He permits us to come in contact with suffering and calamity in order
to call us out of our selfishness; He seeks to develop in us the attributes
of His character—compassion, tenderness, and love. By accepting this
work of ministry we place ourselves in His school, to be fitted for the
courts of God....
By cooperating with heavenly beings in their work on earth, we are
preparing for their companionship in heaven. “Ministering spirits, sent
forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation,” angels in
heaven will welcome those who on earth have lived “not to be ministered
unto, but to minister.” In this blessed companionship we shall learn,
to our eternal joy, all that is wrapped up in the question, “Who is my
neighbor?”
* * * * *
Every act of love, every word of kindness, every prayer in behalf of
the suffering and oppressed, is reported before the eternal throne and
placed on heaven’s imperishable record.
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