Compassion
Turn with me to Genesis chapter 40 for the rest of this week. I want to show you three things about Joseph that I think are quite inspiring.
Joseph's Kindness
Joseph was in prison, wrongly accused, but still locked away. But man, he still was such a good man and he didn't let his situation get him down. Now, as he was in prison, two of Pharaoh's officials were brought in. Pharaoh's Butler and his Baker, and both of them had distressing dreams one night.
I love this verse that says "When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. And so he asked them, 'Why do you look so sad?'" [Genesis 40:6-7]. Now it's easy to not even think much about that, but that's a small act of kindness that probably went a long way in their lives. He came in, he noticed that they were dejected, and he reached out to them.
Acknowledging Pain
A simple question today: Are we noticing when people are dejected and are we talking to them to help them through it?
You know, friends, as Christians, sometimes just acknowledging somebody else's pain and showing them that you actually have seen it can go a long way. Sometimes just opening a conversation can go a long way.
Compassion in Trials
Can I encourage us today to be on the lookout for people who look like they need some comfort? And can I encourage us to try to chat to them and just comfort them?
Even while he was stuck in prison, Joseph still had compassion for those around him. How about us?
