compassion...are you living it?

Gay Pride. Confederate flags. These two subjects have brought the topic of "God" to the surface more than any other news combined in just the past two weeks. People have been quoting Scripture, forecasting the end times, as well as the final coming, more disagreements have been wrought over these two subjects and with so much vilification and judgment....

I think we forget who has the last word...and it isn't Joe Blow from down the street!
With all of this talk about Jesus and His divinity, we forget about Jesus and His humanity.
Let's talk a bit about that, shall we?

Jesus is the Son of God. He is God made man. He came to us here on Earth not to condemn, but to save.  He told stories that people of the time could relate to: Shepherds, vineyards, sheep, fish, prodigal sons and busy women. He was put to the test more than once, was asked questions that required careful consideration on His part by those who were supposed to be the real teachers; namely the scribes and the Pharisees. They were so jealous of One who had come, calling Himself the Messiah, that in all haste, they convinced all who would hear that Jesus was a fake, a fraud and ordered to have Him crucified. In the very end, as Jesus hung on the Cross, He taught us all about forgiveness. During His ministry, He taught us all about tolerance. You see, it is so easy to judge, it is so easy to condemn, it is so easy to look upon another who isn't "like us," and erase them from humanity as if they were so much vermin. Yet Jesus saw in those people what we also need to see....His compassion should also be our compassion!

Commit adultery? He forgave! He talked to women, who at that time were considered mere chattel, oh yes, He did! Healed on the Sabbath? Of course! Made friends with tax collectors? By all means! He broke all the "laws," and showed us that it is in our weakness that we are made strong! Jesus did this! He did NOT introduce Himself by asking, "and are you a Samaritan? and you, there, are you from southern Africa? and you, didn't you just cheat on your wife? Why, I can't have anything to do with any and ALL of you....!" No, they were all God's children! He loved them all! and...He died for them all...and for US all as well.
Let me ask you this? If you saw someone in a gay pride parade and a moving vehicle was coming at them, would you jump in to save them? If it took you longer than a nanosecond to answer that, I'm sorry but that person has just been struck down and may die from serious injury.

"Greater love has no man than this...that he lay down his life for a friend." John 15:13

Can we not do the same as Jesus did? Instead of quoting Scripture, how about if we just LIVE IT?