Brief summary
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should develop spiritual eyes to recognise the people God places in our path and respond to them with genuine compassion. These seemingly ordinary encounters can become divine appointments through which we bless others.
Key quotes and questions to ponder and discuss
‘As covenant followers of Jesus Christ, we minister with compassion to whomever God places in our path. We do it because that’s what the Savior did. And we’ve made a covenant to follow Him.’ (Paragraph 16)
How can we make ministering to others a natural part of our everyday life?
‘Each Sabbath day, when you and I partake of the sacrament, we witness to our Father in Heaven our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. That means we choose to see as He sees, feel as He feels, and do as He would do. His life should be reflected in ours.’ (Paragraph 17)
What does it mean in practical terms to see people as the Saviour sees them?
‘…when someone encounters us, they should experience something of Jesus Christ—His kindness, His patience, His hope, His love, His compassion.’ (Paragraph 17)
If someone encountered me today, would they experience something of Jesus Christ through my words and actions?
‘Our promise of willingness is met by the Lord’s promise that we can always have His Spirit with us. With that gift, we can minister as the Savior would, with His power and His loving kindness.’ (Paragraph 18)
How should our willingness and the Spirit work together?
‘We make the covenant during sacred time with God every Sunday. A way we keep the covenant is by ministering to God’s children every day. Often this happens when God places someone in our path and we have eyes to see them. I call these “divine appointments.”’ (Paragraph 19)
Have you experienced these divine appointments?
‘[The Savior] turned ordinary encounters with people into extraordinary moments of healing, encouragement, and transformation. To Jesus, these people were not interrupting His mission. They were His mission.’ (Paragraph 21)
Have I ever regarded someone as an interruption when they might actually have been an opportunity to serve?
‘God has given us eyes to see. When we use them, we begin to recognize divine appointments all around us. What once looked like random encounters become invitations from the Lord to minister with compassion.’ (Paragraph 22)
How can we better recognise these divine appointments?
What prevents us from noticing the needs of people around us? (Paragraphs 24-39)
Invitations
‘Brothers and sisters, let us pray every day for eyes to see the divine appointments God places before us! Let us put compassion into action and minister to the person in front of us. It’s what Jesus did.’ (Paragraph 40)
Application
- Pray to see.
- Look with compassion.
- Act with love.
You can watch President Farnes’ talk here.
If this post has been helpful, please leave a ‘like’ or a comment. Thank you!
