One at a Time by Kyle IdlemanSample

Day 2

One Action at a Time

Luke 7:11-17; John 13:34; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 4:32

In Luke 7—we read about Jesus meeting a woman whose son had died. She was already a widow and now she was on her way to bury her only son. Luke 7 says, “When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, ‘Don't cry’” Notice the order of what happens. First, Jesus saw her. Second, his heart went out to her. There was a connection between what he saw with his eyes and what he felt with his heart. He allowed his heart to engage with what he saw. Notice the one at a time pattern – Jesus sees. Jesus Feels. Jesus Acts. The test of compassion is action. Often times we see and feel, but we don’t act. We use the wrong conjunction. Instead of our stories being “I had compassion and” our story are often “I had compassion But…” Jesus had no earthly connection to this widow or her son. But he felt compassion and when Jesus felt compassion there was always an AND. The test of compassion isn’t the feelings you have but the one at a time stories you can tell…Living a "One at a Time" life of impact and influence means that you always look for an AND.

What makes you reluctant to offer compassion AND… to various people? Invite God to teach you how to live with compassion that moves to action.