Number 112:  June 6, 2007

The Youth Advance was very successful. There was much Word of God presented that had a direct impact on the listener’s mind and heart. We saw how the goodness of God started with the original creation of Genesis 1:1 and ran throughout the Bible. God always wants the best for His people. He put Adam and Eve in the paradise of Eden, the children of Israel into a land flowing with milk and honey. He sent a complete savior who totally redeemed mankind. We heard how God’s goodness had brought much deliverance into the lives of many today. Two of the aspects of the goodness of God were reoccurring themes; God is a God of forgiveness and is a compassionate God.

Ephesians 4:32:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

God has forgiven us of all of our sins, transgressions, shortcomings, iniquities, mistakes, disobediences. We have all sinned, broke fellowship with our Father God. However, God will and does forgive and forget. Read all of Psalm 103.  

Psalm 103:10:

He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Compassion is not merely feeling sorry for another. Compassion is really the great depth of God’s love in action. Compassion gets involved with others to help them when they are in a negative situation. Jesus Christ got involved. He didn’t just talk about it, he acted.

Matthew 14:14: And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

Many felt sorry for the sick, but Jesus took action to relieve their sufferings by putting the power of God into operation. He healed them.

Mark 1:40-42:

And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.

Jesus didn’t just briefly poke the leper when he touched him, he embraced him. He demonstrated compassion for someone who was an outcast in society because of his physical ailment. God’s goodness is all around us, embrace and enjoy it.