Don’t Give Up
Those who are in your life, even those who have rejected the gospel
Keep praying for them
Keep loving them
Don’t condemn them to Hell
You can shake the dust off your feet as we are directed in scripture,
if the Lord gives you peace to do so
And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence,
shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them.
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha
in the day of judgment, than for that city. Mark 6:11
Sometimes there will be circumstances that keep people in our lives
We cannot see all
That is when we must leave them in the hands of the Lord
and treat them as well as we are able,
with love and forgiveness and kindness
God moves people in and out of our lives constantly
You never know how long someone will be near
A co-worker can get another job, a neighbor can move,
all sorts of things can happen and God is ultimately in control
The final call is going out now
We do not know how long that call will be
God’s timing is not ours
He is very patient and merciful
When the door is shut, the door is shut
There will be some who will pound on the door
to ask the Lord to redeem them when it is too late
Jesus is the one who decides when that door shuts
It is different for each one
He will turn them away with a tear in His eye
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came;
and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage:
and the door was shut.
Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.
But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour
wherein the Son of man cometh. Matthew 25:10-13
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked
Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?
saith the Lord God:
and not that he should return from his ways, and live? Ezekiel 18:23
Each mortal will have his or her chance
While there is still time, pray fervently for those who are brought to your heart
Don’t give up yet
When the Lord will no longer hear, He will make that clear
He will shut His ears
Meanwhile, we must continue to love our enemies,
to pray for those who mistreat us, to bring them before His throne
We are about to suffer greatly at the hand of man
Remember the word that I said unto you,
The servant is not greater than his lord.
If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;
if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. John 15:20
Our hearts must be loving and kind no matter what they do
Our flesh may want to hate them, but Lord, give us Your grace,
that we may pray for You to forgive them,
like You asked while You were suffering during your Crucifixion
Keep loving, keep giving what the Lord has given to you
We need to be open vessels,
doing the best we can to keep ourselves out of the way,
out of the way of the work God desires to do in us and through us
Let us forgive and pray for our enemies
Let the Lord deal with them, for He surely will
His vengeance is best and His wisdom is infinite