It's virtually impossible to follow Christ and not have a heart for the poor, needy and underprivileged. When a true revelation of who Jesus is and what He has done for us, we will naturally want to respond by extending that same love and grace to the one who need them most.

No matter how old you are, how much you have or what background you are from, God calls us all to get involved in helping the poor and needy. The second most important command is to "love our neighbour as ourselves," (Mark 12:31) and one way we can obey that command is to go and help the impoverished and struggling.

There is a special place in the heart of God for the needy and broken, and He imparts that same heart to us as well if we expose ourselves in the right way and open our hearts to the reality of their suffering. Here are four ways that we can grow more in our compassion for the poor so that we may act with more compelling conviction.

1. Connect to God's Heart

Through the years, the closer we get to God, the greater the mission He places in our hearts. There just seems to be more to give, more to do, more to sacrifice the deeper we get in our relationships with God. After having seen God face to face in a vision, the prophet Isaiah could only respond by saying, "Here I am! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8)

2. Read the Bible

The Bible is full of scriptures and truth that reveal to us God's heart for the poor and His command for us to get involved in reaching the underprivileged around you as well. There are scriptures about helping the sick, the widows, the outcasts and even the spiritually lost. The more you read the Bible, the more you'll be exposed to God's compassion for those who are in need.

3. Expose Yourself to Underprivileged Communities

Have you ever gone to a slum area, the deep neighbourhoods or to homeless shelters and rehabilitation sites? If you haven't, I assure you that the first visit will be enough to break your heart and compel you into action. But be sure to walk in wisdom as you do and prepare before going.

4. Start Giving or Volunteering

Unless we get to actually do things, we will never truly have our hearts into it. It's no different with growing in our compassion with the poor. The more you help, the more your heart for your compassion ministry will grow. Some wait too long to be "ready" to do things and end up never having the heart for it. The heart grows more into social responsibility as you step into it little by little.