Read John 4:11.

Oswald Chambers wrote "When it comes to facing Jesus Christ on His own merits, our attitude is one of pious superiority - Your ideals are high and they impress us, but in touch with actual things, it cannot be done.... It is all very well to say 'Trust in the Lord', but a man must live, and Jesus has nothing to draw with, nothing whereby to give us [things we need]". Why do we not obey Him when he asks us to take up our cross daily, or to love Him more than our own lives, or to comfort others with the comfort we have received from God? Could it be that we are hurt at the idea that He can do what we cannot?

Read Matthew 5:7 and Matthew 6:14.

The world, from which we have all come, is true to its nature - it is unmerciful. The world prefers to insulate itself against the pains and calamities of others. It finds revenge delicious, and forgiveness tame and unsatisfying. We cannot receive the mercy and forgiveness of God unless we repent; we cannot claim to have repented of our sins if we are unmerciful towards the sins of others. Discuss how self-awareness of our lack of compassion can bring us to repentance.

Read 2 Corinthians 8:9 and 12:15, and Matthew 23:11.

Natural love expects some return. Jesus out-socialists the socialists, in that he requires in His kingdom that he that is greatest shall be the servant of all. Is it even possible to love God and ignore the needs of others?

Read Luke 10:25-37.

That so many religious and secular people understand this parable shows the brilliance of both its simplicity and its depth. The whole narrative describes working compassion as contrasted to selfishness, of hate compared with love. Where do you see yourself, if at all, in this parable? Who is our neighbor, and how should we respond to his or her needs?

Read Colossians 1:21-23 and Ephesians 1:4.

The most important thing is not how we appear to others or to ourselves, but how we look to God. God sees us without a fault if we have placed the blood of Christ between us and God. Consider the vitality of your motivation to serve God by serving others. Share an example.