Matthew 9:35-36
And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.  But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

No heart of compassion will well up within us if we are turning a blind eye to the plight of the multitudes around us.  We will never see them in their true condition unless we look upon them as Jesus did—fainting, scattered, needy, aimless.  They are not their disease or their struggle, their race or their class.  They are God’s beloved creations, and we need to see people as He does—all valuable, all worth something, all deserving of our compassion.  Let’s not cast people off, but show them the touch of His love.

Jesus met physical and spiritual needs, and we are to do the same.  Who has God placed in our path that we can reach our hand to?  Who around us lacks love that we can give love to?  Who is poor and needy that we can provide for?  Who is desperate for Jesus that we can share the Gospel with?  Who around us is lonely that we can show kindness to?  Who has a struggle that we can walk beside?  We probably don’t have to look very far at all to find someone we can minister to.

If we’ve retreated into our own little Christian cocoon and are failing to step outside of that to reach others with Jesus’ love, we are not being obedient to what He has called us to.  He met the needs of multitudes while He walked the earth, and He has commissioned us to continue His work.  He couldn’t reach every individual Himself, so He sent others out on His behalf.  And we are to go forth in His name with love and compassion to bring them into the fold, to help how we can, to encourage and strengthen.  And when they’ve experienced His love so clearly and have come to know Him as their own, they go out and do the same, and then others go out and do the same, and many more multitudes are reached for His glory.

We can’t close our eyes and pretend that a struggling multitude doesn’t exist right outside of where we are.  We must look upon people from God’s perspective and seek to do all we can while we can.  Didn’t Jesus come to us when we were in that lost and needy state?  Aren’t we glad that He saw us as we were and came to meet our needs?  Then let us go forward for His sake to be a blessing in our world today.