Compassion Without Compromise
There are times when my children swear that as parents we’re different from their friends’ simply because Chris is a pastor. It makes my blood boil if you catch me at the right (or wrong) time. I fiercely believe that we parent the way we do because we’re Christians. If we tried to live up to everyone’s varying expectations of how we should live and parent because Chris has the position of pastor, we would’ve had to collapse in defeat many years ago! We’re two people who love the Lord, trying to be obedient like every other Christian couple out there. My children, however, are right when it comes to one facet. Our ministry does allow us to walk alongside more people through their highs and lows than most. We see the hurting places that most people don’t dare to show even to those closest to them. It’s a privilege that we take very seriously.From this privilege, I want to share an experience that I hope will help reinforce the value of compassion without compromise that’s foundational to Highpoint and we believe was the heartbeat of Jesus’ ministry on earth. This value at Highpoint comes right out of John 8, where Jesus spares the adulterous woman the shame that the Pharisees were inflicting as they tried to corner Jesus. The Pharisees’ primary objective was to catch Jesus contradicting the Law, but their set-up led to Jesus telling the shame-filled woman, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11). He offered her compassion, but He also upheld truth. She must not continue in her sin.[bctt tweet="Compassion without compromise: The heartbeat of Jesus' ministry on earth."]From the pages of Scripture, I move us to the present day. Recently, I was with a sweet group of women. We each knew the others to a varying degree. At some point in the conversation, one of the women made the comment that after salvation we begin the process of dealing with all the smaller sins. What she didn’t realize was that within the circle, the majority of the women had committed some “big” sins after salvation. I’d walked alongside enough of the women gathered to know that her comment was a softball for the enemy. Any of us who have asked, “How could I have done that as a follower of Christ?” know that the enemy likes to remind us of what God has already chosen not to remember.[bctt tweet="The enemy likes to remind us of what God has already chosen not to remember."]I wish it were true for all of us that after salvation, we never committed “a big sin.” Fortunately, God doesn’t measure out forgiveness in sized packages. We all need forgiveness… before salvation and after salvation. I hope your journey after surrendering to Christ has been one where the trajectory of faithfulness has always been in the positive direction. If that’s your story, never… ever… ever… take that for granted. By His grace, you’ve been able to be faithful. With humility, thank Him. In your gratitude, be careful to remember that’s not the journey of many believers around you. I’m grateful there are no scarlet letters on our chests revealing the sins we have committed. If everyone could see a cartoon bubble above our head, filled with our failures, we would shudder to walk in public.We need each other in the body of Christ. We sharpen one another. We encourage one another. We carry one another’s burdens. May we do so each day full of compassion without compromise.