Compass-osition.

In the evening service at my church we are currently working our way through the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah's passions line up with what God desires and he rises up to do powerful things for God, despite hostility and obstacles.

Someone in the service last Sunday made a really good connection from the previous two weeks.

Nehemiah 4 dealt with opposition that will arise whenever you do big, God inspired things. The next chapter, which I preached on, focused on compassion for others being based on their God given value and dignity.

The connection was profoundly simple. When (yes, when, not if), opposition arises for what God is inviting you to be a part of, your response must be clothed in compassion.

No matter who is arcing up at you, they posses as much worth as you have.

No matter how critical they are of you, they are treasured by God.

No matter how crazy their objection, they are deemed precious in the eyes of their Maker.

Sure, they may be off-the-wall annoying (and quite possibly wrong), but this basis of compassion should affect the way we respond to them.