Compassion for Others

A portion of a letter written by Bob Jennings, a pastor in Sedalia, Missouri. Pastor Jennings has recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He is writing a blog about his experience in this journey toward death. He posted a reply to a letter from an 8 or 9 year old boy about his illness and what he had learned through this great trial. The letter was posted September 8, 2010.

That was very nice of you to write. That is merciful of you; that is compassion. Jesus was very compassionate, as it is written, "He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them…" (Matthew 14:14).


This sickness that I have has helped me see how lacking in compassion I have been. Others have been sick and I did not enter into their difficulty like I should have. I had good health and that was their problem. But we are in a very needy world. How many people are not in good health. Really everybody is sick and will die. So, we want to sincerely reach out to others, especially with God’s message, for, if their soul is ok, then their body will be ok too. My little grandson, Raymond, 7, said, “Grandpa, I know you will feel better in heaven.”


What is the key to serving others? We must be free of selfishness and filled with the living God. God sent His Son for others. That is how the Lord Jesus was. He gave Himself for others.


The Lord bless you, and may He give you a great heart of compassion for others, as it is written, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4).

Bob Jennings Journal, http://bobjenningsjournal.com/, September 8, 2010.

Your Saviour is Leading You

A portion of a letter written to Paul Wolfe by a friend. Paul learned that he had cancer when he was a senior at Westminster Seminary. Paul had surgery and went through several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. God spared his life and taught him many lessons along the way. Those lessons are the subject of a book he has written, published by the Banner of Truth, which is a great encouragement to believers who face cancer, or for that matter, who face any life-threatening ailment. The following was written to him by a friend four days after he was diagnosed with cancer. It was written April 27, 1999.


Dear Paul, surely your Saviour is leading you and Christy through the deepest waters, and is asking you both to trust him with your lives. What else can you do, dear friend? This dark providence has consternated us all, and we cry out for you both. But it is only our dear Elder Brother who understands your sufferings, and through them is changing you from one degree of glory to another. We ever look to his mercy.

My God is True: Lessons Learned Along Cancer's Dark Road, Paul D. Wolfe, The Banner of Truth Trust, 2009, p. 110.