Saturday, October 15, 2011

Never Give Up On Anyone

But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them. -- 2 Samuel 23:6

Can someone who is always badmouthing someone else know Jesus? Can someone who tells lies about others on a regular basis really be saved? Can someone filled with jealousy and rage truly be a Christian? I don’t know.

Don’t get me wrong. Christians -- those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior -- are forgiven. And we are all sinners. No matter how long we’ve been Christians, we all mess up. We all backslide. We all do really bad things we wish we could take back. It’s part of being human.

But what about those people who don’t ever seem to have a heart-change? What about the people who just always seem so negative and out to get those around them? And it goes on for week after week, month after month, year after year. Can someone like that really be filled with the Holy Spirit? Shouldn’t those on the outside be able to see evidence of it at some point?

I never quite know how to deal with people who tell me they’re Christians but who behave like they aren’t. I want to think the best of people. Really, I do. But sometimes I wonder if I’m taking the easy road. Because it is easier to walk away, to pretend that everything is okay, to not question out loud what I’m questioning in my heart.

I know that some people who claim to be Christians really aren’t. I know that others who have memorized all the answers in a lifetime in church, really don’t have a clue about true salvation. It’s not a pop quiz they can pass or fail. It’s something that happens in your heart, deep in your soul, when you come to believe and to fully understand what Jesus did for you.

So I go back to my original questions: Can someone truly invite Jesus into his/her heart and not reveal an outward sign of that change? I don’t think so. But I don’t know. What do you think?

I’ve pretty much decided to let it go. The Bible tells us that God knows our hearts. So He knows. I don’t need to know. I might want to know but I don’t need to know. My responsibility is to talk with everyone about Jesus. And to pray that He will open the hearts that need opening.

I can’t give up on anyone. I just can’t. No matter how negative they are. No matter how mean spirited and hateful. I have to keep trying to show them the love that God has shown to me. There are plenty of times God should have given up on me. But He didn’t. So how