We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk.
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Matthew 14:13-21 (ESV)
13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” 17 They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” 18 And he said, “Bring them here to me.” 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men besides women and children.
Devotional
Even after He had received the news about John the Baptist and was wanting to be alone, Jesus felt compassion for the crowds that were following Him.
The text doesn’t tell us that the pain that Jesus was feeling miraculously disappeared, or that He realised that His suffering wasn’t as important as “the mission”, but the text says that Jesus felt compassion for the crowds and He healed the sick. This compassion also extends to the fact that He didn’t send anyone away, but He tells the disciples to provide what the people need.
Whether you are in need or in a position to extend this compassion, it is important to remember that there is no judgment about who deserves love and compassion. Jesus cares about us and about those around us.
Prayer
Dear God, help us to look beyond ourselves and to extend the same compassion that is extended to us every day.
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