Making a difference

Jude 1:22

And of some have compassion, making a difference.

The book of Jude is a masterpiece of history, doctrine, prophecy, and Christian exhortation. He tells of Enoch, Adam, Cain, and Balaam; he speaks of the way of Cain, the error of Balaam, and the gainsaying of Core. He speaks of the coming of Christ, prophesied beforehand by Enoch, seven generations from Adam. And the last nine verses speak to the beloved. Many wonderful and helpful commands are given here, such as the commands to keep yourselves in the love of God, the injunction to pray in the Holy Ghost, and the encouragement to build ourselves on our most holy faith. We must look for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. He is able to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy! How I long for this myself! I desire to be presented faultless before His presence through the cleansing power of the blood of Christ. And this will happen by knowing the salvation that only Christ gives, and by hating the garment spotted by the flesh. I must eschew it. I must cast it away as an abominable branch. I must despise and disdain all semblances and fragments of the flesh. They must be wiped out. I must hate the flesh and love the Spirit. For only then will I be saved from all the wants, desires, lusts, and tendencies of the flesh.

But tucked within the exhortations that Jude gives to the believers, He encourages us to have compassion, making a difference. It almost seems out of place, as the rest of the immediate passage speaks of the attention we need to give to ourselves. But this speaks of the attention we must give to others. You see, my friend, one of the most routine, the most common, the most daily, and the most habitual tasks is the task of dealing with others. How will we deal with others, and not harm our spiritual walk with the Lord? How will we commune with, converse with, and connect with those that dwell about us? We must have compassion! We must have the same compassion which we would desire be shown to us! We must show forth the great compassion of Christ exhibited through His Son to a lost, evil, and hopeless world. Christ was moved with compassion on the multitudes, and continues to be moved with compassion today. Have compassion! For compassion makes a difference! A person who was once a hard, calloused, and inveterately sinful man may become a gentile, kind, peaceful, and loving Christian. But how will such a change be effected? How will such a dramatic shift occur? Only through compassion! How will an implacable wife be reverted to a sweet lady? How will a rancorous husband turn into a godly gentlemen? How will such a change take place? I suggest that it is only though compassion. How will a wayward, prodigal come back to the loving fold of his father and his mother? How will an estranged friend be restored to fellowship? And how will a lost world without the knowledge of the Savior, come unto the knowledge of the truth? I suggest that it will only happen through compassion. No other way will be quite so effective. Other ways may work temporarily, but they are grossly inadequate in the end. They do not have the power that this has! We must show compassion this day! It will win hearts and save souls. It will bind friends and console the saints. It will make the impossible happen. For all things are possible to him that believeth! And maybe, maybe, maybe, we will have compassion if we believe that compassion works. Have compassion, my dear friend, for it will make a difference.

“Dear Savior, we praise and thank you for the compassion you have shown us through your cross and the salvation you have so graciously provided for us sinners. Help us to have the same compassion on others, remembering that the servant is no greater than his Lord, neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. Give us great compassion today. Give us deep love for the brethren, and deep concern for the lost. Infuse our hearts, and imbue our souls with greater compassion than we have had. And may we see this day, that it will, no doubt, make a difference. In Jesus’ name alone we pray, Amen.”