Not Waffling on Compassion

In Colossians chapter 3, we are instructed to put off the actions of the flesh and to put on the character 
of Christ, activated by the Spirit. We can read:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

We are conduits of the love of Christ and the power of Holy Spirit; He desires for His love to flow through His people, and He gives us the capacity, as His representatives, to share the love with the people with whom we come in contact. We can prepare ourselves for His use by repenting of sin, opening our hearts, and allowing His Spirit to fill us. He will give us hearts to love with His love and to act in accordance with His Word. 

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There's a passage in 1st John 3 that illustrates how the compassion of Christ can flow through us; it 
says:
17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?
18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.

Unfortunately, the compassion of the Church sometimes gets hidden by those who do not share our worldview, including purveyors of information that contradicts Scripture. Even the abundance of compassion for women in what would be termed "crisis pregnancies" gets hidden because we are falsely charged as "pro-birth" only.

Hannah Hill was eight months pregnant when she met Atlanta pastor Eusebia Phelps.  She was planning to name her son Samuel, which, come to find out, was the name of Phelps' son who had lost his life seven years prior to when the pastor and the young lady met, according to The Christian Post, which reported that Bishop Phelps had called the Waffle House at which Hannah worked to place an order.  He actually placed and picked up the order from Hill, told her to keep the change.  He noticed she was pregnant, then, as he relates, "I was just really urged to give her the rest of the money that I had in my wallet, which was around $40,” adding, “And so I gave her the $40 and I told her that I just wanted to be able to bless her so she could buy something for the baby.”

Later, he told his wife he wanted to raise a thousand dollars for Hannah and baby Samuel.  The article notes:

Phelps took to Facebook and informed his friends and followers of his encounter with Hill. He shared his goal of raising $1,000 for her. By the time he woke up the next morning, Phelps had exceeded his expectations.

By the end of the following day, Phelps had raised $6,500 for Hill.

He intended to surprise her by taking the money to the Waffle House, but realized it was her night off.  But, those who had seen the announcement through Facebook Live began to try to contact the waitress - ultimately, Hannah's roommate was contacted, she woke Hannah up and they began the over half-hour journey to the restaurant.  And donations continued to climb, reaching over $12,000, and the surprise baby shower went down.  The article says that Hill told local TV station, WXIA that "she was living with her mom and trying to make ends meet. She is currently living apart from her baby’s father at the moment." It quotes Hill as saying, “I had a lot going on, and I don’t really pray that often...I’m not necessarily that religious. I wasn’t raised in the Church, don’t go to church a lot, haven’t opened a Bible in forever.”

But, she said, "...lately I’ve been praying...," and she indicated that the outpouring of support made her want to attend church.  

This is a prime example of how compassionate action leads people into consideration of a deeper relationship with Christ.  We should consistently have the love of Christ dominate our hearts so that we don't miss out on opportunities to share His love.  In our obedience, we demonstrate the power of giving.

We also recognize that God sees even when we might not think He does.  Jesus had not forgotten Hannah Hill, even though she had sinned against Him in the actions that resulted in conceiving a child. The child is precious in God's sight regardless of the manner in which he was conceived. We also know that He doesn't write us off when we sin against Him. Jesus died on the cross so that we might be forgiven of our sins and have a right relationship with Him.