Hebrews 13:3 - A verse that stood out today

I was reading my daily Bible portion today morning. The below verse stood out and Holy Spirit really made that verse stand out. Got all my attention

Hebrews 13:3 - Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies

There are so many things going on in this world.. Missing flights, huge number of children murdered in Pakistan, ISIS persecution and so on.. We read about this news. We go on condemning the terrorist involved.. And we blame the governments and people in power. But hardly we think on what we are doing about it.

The author of Hebrews in the concluding words mentions this. We are to feel the pain as if we are in the middle of it. As if we are going through it. Quite frankly, I am not even close to there. I feel the pain only when I know the other person and is close to my heart. I just don't feel that for strangers. But that is what Lord commands us! We are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Not necessary that the neighbor is an acquaintance for us.

From now on, I am going to make this as a prayer point in my personal prayers. That the Lord will give me a heart which will feel the burden for pain faced by others.
 
Ever since I was little, watching someone get hurt, no matter who it was, if I knew them closely or not, I could always feel their pain and I could really sympathize with that person. During arguments, I would always take the opposite side, whether I agreed with it or not, to see things from another's perspective. I was always told that was "weird" and I should "mind my own business." It's nice to know that the Lord commands it, that we should consider others and sympathize with those being wronged. We are not alone in our struggles.
 
Ever since I was little, watching someone get hurt, no matter who it was, if I knew them closely or not, I could always feel their pain and I could really sympathize with that person. During arguments, I would always take the opposite side, whether I agreed with it or not, to see things from another's perspective. I was always told that was "weird" and I should "mind my own business." It's nice to know that the Lord commands it, that we should consider others and sympathize with those being wronged. We are not alone in our struggles.

It is when we walk in another's shoes for a bit that we lose the ability to hate. We begin to realize the how and why people make the choices they do. This is not to say we should sin to know what sin is but to understand that everyone has their own weaknesses and have compassion and an ability to reach out and help when someone falls off the path.
 
It is when we walk in another's shoes for a bit that we lose the ability to hate. We begin to realize the how and why people make the choices they do. This is not to say we should sin to know what sin is but to understand that everyone has their own weaknesses and have compassion and an ability to reach out and help when someone falls off the path.

I agree completely. I see people who judge another man, whether he has sinned or not, and then I think to myself, "What if this person made a mistake, or misinterpreted something?" We do not know the circumstances or this person's heart when they made a certain choice or believed something other than what we thought. While it may or may not be right, I have no place to condemn someone. Even if it is difficult or I don't understand, I try to place myself in that person's circumstances.

"Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." - John 8:7
 
As mentioned above, it basically means that you should feel empathy towards others to understand their actions in different circumstances. It just says this in a very practical way. This kind of thinking might also help you to feel less burdened by your own issues and make you feel need to help others, which is of course a very good thing.
 
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