Alice Lee Humphres, in her book Angels in Pinafores, tells about her experiences as a first grade teacher. She tells about one little girl who came to school one winter day wearing a beautiful white angora beret, white mittens, and a matching muff. As she was coming through the door, a mischievous little boy grabbed the white muff and threw it in the mud.
After disciplining the little boy, the teacher sought to comfort the girl. Brushing the mud off of her soiled muff, the little girl looked up at the teacher and said in a quiet and responsible manner, "Sometime I must take a day off and tell him about God." As far as the girl was concerned, everything that was wrong with the boy could be made right if she could just tell him about God.
Well, we know that God is caring by nature and that a caring spirit is characteristic of people devoted to God. That boy did not seem to be a very caring person.
The Scripture (Bible) relates many events that show the caring spirit of Jesus Christ. John 11:32-36 provides a good example. Lazarus, a close friend of Jesus, had died. Here is what the passage says:
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at His feet and said, 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 'Where have you laid him?' he asked.
'Come and see, Lord,' they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, 'See how He loved him!'
Here we see the caring emotion of Jesus. Jesus did not weep only for Himself at the loss of a dear friend. He was also sensitive to the feelings of Mary and Martha. They had lost their brother, and He wept with them.
Jesus was sensitive to the needs of others. He understood their hurts and He was quick to empathize with them.
On many other occasions Jesus shared in the hurts of people. He expressed his sorrow over Jerusalem because of the hardness of the people's hearts. He said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
But Jesus did not live a morbid life. I imagine He played in the surf of the Mediterranean and swam in the Jordan River and fished in the Sea of Galilee. In long dusty treks across barren land and rocky hills, perhaps He stood on the edge of a cliff with his disciples and entered into a contest with them to see who could throw a rock the furthest from the top of the cliff. We notice in the Scripture that Jesus was one who enjoyed a good meal and fellowship. We see Him frequently at the banquet table. Jesus enjoyed life.
But He was quick to sense the needs of another person -- for Christ cares.
Christ Cares When You Are Grieving Over the Loss of a Loved One.
Jesus knew how closely knit was the family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. They had evidently lost their parents, as we do not find them mentioned anywhere. These siblings had drawn close to one another and were living in the same house. In the passage above, the sisters were hurting and Jesus was hurting. He cared enough to be with them in their hour of need.
When you have lost a dear one and your heart aches, Jesus knows your need and He cares. He has also suffered such loss and can identify with your need. He is able to sustain you.
Jesus does not promise us that you will not suffer grief, but He promises us Himself in the midst of it.
Christ Cares When You Are Discouraged.
Do you sometimes feel that life has passed you by? Opportunities have been missed? There is the sense of a lack of fulfillment? Life has become an empty existence? Jesus is aware of your feelings and He cares.
One day a rich man came to Jesus. He was rich but his life was empty. Jesus listened. He cared. The
man's life was empty because he had thought only of himself. Jesus knew his need. His priorities were out of whack. He was a failure as a steward. Jesus
showed him how to be a faithful steward of the possessions God had entrusted to him. Like that man, people are not always ready to accept Jesus' solutions. That responsibility rests with the individual, but Jesus is the way. Fulfillment comes by following Him.
Once, at a feast just days before Christ's crucifixion, a woman took some very expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' head in a caring gesture. Others at the feast were indignant but Jesus did not turn her away. In fact, He said, Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Then He said, Wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her (Mark 14:6-9). Jesus recognized her spirit and sacrifice and allowed her to have a feeling of worthwhileness.
Jesus does not promise us that we will never feel that life is empty and that we have been a failure, but He promises us Himself in such a time and assures us of our value in the eyes of God. He says, Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).
Christ Cares When You Have Anxieties.
Life may seem to be caving in on you. You may have more than your share of problems. You see no solutions. Your life has been torn apart.
You are suffering sickness or pain and wonder when relief will come. Sometimes it seems unbearable.
Your
 age may be at the point that you know you haven't many more years on earth. Anxieties! Anxieties!
Neil Simon, who wrote "The Odd Couple" and "Barefoot in the Park," was asked on the Dick Cavett Show whether making a lot of money concerned him. The studio went dead silent when Simon answered, "No, what does concern me is the fear of dying." (Leighton Ford, Good News is For Sharing, p. 31)
Jesus Christ cares about you and your anxieties. Your anxieties can be set at ease by placing your life in Jesus' arms.
One day some lepers called out to Jesus. They were untouchables. When anyone approached them they were required to call out "Unclean! Unclean!" so people would not come near to them. They must have felt so isolated, alone and unworthy. But Jesus cared. He took time to hear them, touch them, heal them, and to restore their ability to mix with the rest of society and regain their dignity.
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On another occasion, Jesus saw a lame man by a pool. The man was immobilized. He probably had much pain with his lameness. He had to depend on others to move him about. He was a burden to his family. This must have been unsettling to him. Jesus cared and reached out to him, and his life was changed.
Christ has not changed. He is still the same Christ. He does not promise that you will never have cause to be anxious, but He promises Himself in the midst of your anxieties.
I Peter 5:7 (in the Bible) says, Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you.
Jesus cares When You Are Lonely.
Do you sometimes feel deserted, unloved, or just lonely? Family may have scattered. Loved ones may have died. Your spouse may have left you alone. Jesus cares for you.
Don't you know the lepers must have led a lonely life? Jesus ministered to a woman in Samaria who couldn't keep a husband. She must have been lonely inside. Another woman once anointed Jesus and washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. She seemed to be crying out in her loneliness. Jesus offered forgiveness, healing, fulfillment and companionship to those who turned to Him. He cared, and He still does.
In the passage quoted earlier, Mary and Martha were already feeling lonely in the loss of their brother, Lazarus. Jesus empathized with them and cried with them. He shared in their hurt.
Jesus does not promise that you will never be lonely, but He promises Himself in the midst of your loneliness.
Jesus Cares When You Are Downtrodden.
One day some men dragged a woman before Jesus. She had been caught in an act of adultery. The law called for death by stoning. Jesus' heart went out to this helpless soul who had been made a public example. He put her accusers to shame and they left one by one. They stood condemned for their own sins and they could not rightly condemn her. Jesus said, Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. He accepted her where she was and pointed her to a better way. How comforting it must have been to have found such a Friend in Jesus!
He is your Friend. He cares for you. He does not promise that you will never be mistreated, but He promises you Himself in those difficult times.
We can learn a lot from Jesus that will help us minister to one another and deal with our own situations.
Jesus Cares for the Lost.
Jesus came into the world for the primary purpose of redeeming the world to God.
Romans 5:8 (in the Bible) tells us that While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John10:10).
Back when the famous evangelist, Charles Spurgeon, was preaching, a ship by the name of Central America was lost at sea. The ship was in bad need of repairs and had sprung a leak, and was going down. A distress signal was sent. A rescue ship came close to the Central America, and its captain asked, through the trumpet, "What is wrong?"
"We are in bad repair and are going down. Wait till morning," was the answer.
But the captain on board the rescue ship said, "Let me take your passengers on board now."
"Wait until morning," was the message that came back.
Once again the captain called out, "You had better let me take your passengers on board now."
"Wait until morning," was the reply that sounded through the trumpet.
About an hour and a half later, the lights were gone, and though no sound was heard, the Central America and all on board had gone down into the sea.
Many people today who do not know Jesus Christ and his salvation think they have plenty of time and can wait to make that decision. But that is generally a fatal mistake.
If you do not know Jesus as personal Savior, you only need to turn your life over to Jesus and plead, as the publican in the Temple did, (in the Bible) God be merciful to me a sinner.
Jesus cares and that is why we should care and urge others to leave their sinking ship and "come on board."
Jesus does not promise that we will not suffer grief, or feel that life is empty and that we have been a failure, or that we will be free from anxiety, or that we will never be lonely, or that we will never be mistreated. But He does promise us Himself in all of these and other situations.
Jesus also rejoices with us when we have reason to rejoice. This principle should not only help us in comforting others, but also in dealing with our own life experiences.
The Bible informs us that those who do not know Jesus Christ, God's Son, as their personal Savior will be eternally separated from God when they die. They will spend eternity in hell. Hell is Satan's domain. It is described as a lake of fire. There is no escape. They are on a sinking ship.
The Rescue Ship has arrived! Jesus loves you so much that at great cost to Him, He went to the cross to pay the penalty for your sins. Then he rose from the grave in victory and spent 40 more days on earth before ascending to His Father in heaven. He offers the free gift of salvation to you. But you must accept the gift for it to become yours.
You cannot be good enough to receive this gift. Then it wouldn’t be a gift. And no sin is too bad for God to forgive. You just need to repent of your sins and ask Jesus Christ to take charge of your life. When you do that, your sins, both past and future, will be forgiven and you will receive eternal life. Of course, with Christ in charge of your life you will not want to sin. You will want to please Him.
But, realistically, sometimes we will fall short. It is comforting to know those sins are also covered by Jesus’ sacrifice and He will help us to overcome. When you die, you will spend eternity in heaven with the Father where there will be no more sickness, pain or death. When you make this commitment of faith, God’s Holy Spirit will come to permanently dwell in you. He will convict you of right and wrong. He will help you to understand the Scripture as you read it and to know God’s plan for your life.
So, come aboard the Rescue ship! You can talk to God. He is listening. Tell Him you are sorry for your sins. Ask Him to forgive you, to save you, and invite Jesus to take charge of your life. When you do that, if you really mean it, you will instantly be saved. The Holy Spirit will come to live within you and heaven will be your home when you die.
Do you need help with that decision? Or, would you like to share the decision with me? Just go to the E-mail page of this site and write me a note. Your note will be encouragement to me. Take care and remember that God loves you.
-- Don
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