Open Your Ears and Sympathize

Current Teaching Series The Miracle of Mercy

Open Your Ears and Sympathize By Rick Warren — Apr 19, 2017 “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT, second edition). Jesus gives us a great model for demonstrating mercy in the story of the Good Samaritan. We can draw out at least four steps toward showing mercy from the Good Samaritan’s actions. In yesterday’s devotional we learned that we must see other people’s needs. But we can’t stop there. We must also sympathize with people’s pain. The Bible says in Luke 10:33 says that when the Samaritan saw the wounded man, he had compassion on him. You see pain with your eyes, but you sympathize with your ears. Sometimes the greatest way to serve someone is just by listening. Behind every need is a story. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest saw the man and his obvious need, but he had no clue about this man’s journey. He could have assumed that the man brought this trouble on himself or that he shouldn’t have been so careless. He could have thought up all kinds of stories or excuses to not help the man in need, because he didn’t stop long enough to discover the truth. But the Bible says in Galatians 6:2,“Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law” (MSG). What is Christ’s law? Love God and love your neighbor. You may have never thought about this, but God has allowed certain struggles in your life so you can sympathize with and serve the people around you. The Bible says, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT, second edition). Think of those times in your life when the Lord has comforted you. To whom can you pass on that blessing? Talk It Over How do you think God can use your struggles to help someone else? What does it mean to share one another’s burdens? How do you serve others when you listen? Why might this practice be considered countercultural today? PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

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Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes six full length teaching CD's from Pastor Rick's series The Miracle of Mercy. LEARN MORE

Series Summary Message 1: ​​Easter Means It's a New Day of Mercy Message 2: God Can Use Anybody Message 3: God's Mercy and My Failures ​Message 4: How Much You Matter to God Message 5: Showing Mercy to Your Family Message 6: Being an Agent of Mercy in the World PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered a​round the world. This devotional © 2017 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe