Names of God: The Father of Compassion
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7, Genesis 37:18-36; 50:15-17
3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. 4 He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share this same comfort with others in trouble. 5 We share in the terrible sufferings of Christ, but also in the wonderful comfort he gives. 6 We suffer in the hope that you will be comforted and saved. And because we are comforted, you will also be comforted, as you patiently endure suffering like ours. 7 You never disappoint us. You suffered as much as we did, and we know that you will be comforted as we were.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
18 But before he got there, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! 20 Let's kill him and throw him into a pit and say that some wild animal ate him. Then we'll see what happens to those dreams.” 21 Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. “Let's not kill him,” he said. 22 “Don't murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a well out here in the desert.” Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat 24 and threw him into a dry well. 25 As Joseph's brothers sat down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with all kinds of spices that they were taking to Egypt. 26 So Judah said, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and hide his body? 27 Let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not harm him. After all, he is our brother.” And the others agreed. 28 When the Midianite merchants came by, Joseph's brothers took him out of the well, and for 20 pieces of silver they sold him to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the well and did not find Joseph there, he tore his clothes in sorrow. 30 Then he went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?” 31 Joseph's brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph's fancy coat in its blood. 32 After this, they took the coat to their father and said, “We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to your son.” 33 Jacob knew it was Joseph's coat and said, “It's my son's coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal.” 34 Jacob mourned for Joseph a long time, and to show his sorrow he tore his clothes and wore sackcloth. 35 All of Jacob's children came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said, “I will go to my grave, mourning for my son.” So Jacob kept on grieving. 36 Meanwhile, the Midianites had sold Joseph in Egypt to a man named Potiphar, who was the king's official in charge of the palace guard.
Genesis 37:18-36; 50:15-17
Memory Verse
Luke 6:36
36 Have pity on others, just as your Father has pity on you.
Do you find it hard to show kindness to people who are mean to you? If so, you are not alone. In today's longer Bible reading, we read the story of a young man named Joseph. Joseph's brothers were not kind to him. In fact, they were so jealous of him that they decided to kill him. One brother tried to show him mercy and convince the others not to kill him but to throw him in a pit. Instead, these cruel brothers sold Joseph to some traders coming down the road!
Joseph faced many challenges throughout his life. He was sold into slavery, wrongly accused, thrown in jail, and forgotten for a long time. Fortunately, God showed compassion and was with Joseph through all his challenges, and Joseph went from being a prisoner in jail to becoming second in command of all of Egypt.
God extended his mercy, and Egypt prospered with Joseph in charge. That’s when Joseph’s brothers come back into the story. They come face to face with Joseph, who they thought was dead. They feared that Joseph would want his revenge on them. However, because Joseph received God's mercy, he extended that mercy to his brothers.
Could you have done what Joseph did? Are you able to show kindness to others even if you think they don't deserve it? That is what God wants all of his children to do. God wants for us to give the compassion to others that we freely receive from him (Luke 6:36).
Prayer
Dear Father of compassion, please give me the heart of mercy and to be kind. Teach me how to show mercy to others, the same way you did to us. In your name, Amen.Related Resources
Natasha Menifee
Natasha Menifee is an educator, writer and most importantly a child of God. She has taught in public schools for 12 years and holds two master's degrees from Georgetown College in Learning & Behavior Disorders and Teacher Leadership. Natasha also serves as the Christian Education Director at her church. She is the proud mother of two daughters. For more information about her, visit www.natashamenifee.com.