People in your life can be dross.
I imagine that works both ways. You could be dross in someone else’s life.
When you are a part of God’s Kingdom, He prunes.
He decides who He is going to give you as friends and coworkers and who He isn’t.
The purposes could be to teach you something, to comfort you, to share the gospel
or for many other reasons too numerous to mention.
I learned a long time ago as I watched His grace on people I was close to.
I could see God’s grace over relationships.
When He was done, He removed them. Done meaning, there was no more good to be had.
Either they refused or all that He could do through me was over.
I saw this in particular with 2 assistants. His grace was on the relationship on both counts.
Neither received the gospel, so He moved them on. Before He did, you could see His grace lifting.
When He gives you a friend, that friend does not belong to you.
That friend was given to you from God.
Your friends can be idols or we can consider our friends our accomplishments.
Not so. If you are consider that you have given your life to Jesus, then all of your assets belong to Him.
It may be a short friendship or a long friendship.
It may end well or poorly or may not end at all.
Sometimes things just move along.
Some people will never add anything good to your life.
If your motive in life is to walk with Jesus, then you can be sure that He is directing your steps.
Who you meet, who is attracted to you because of the Jesus in you, you will begin to see His hand.
Hold people loosely.
When someone has detestable things in their make-up, in their personality, it can be difficult.
Sometimes God may want you to overlook things.
Sometimes He may be warning you.
I had a friend who hurt me very deeply.
I want this friend to be saved. I want to share the gospel with her more.
She is not interested in spending any time with me. She always has excuses.
I asked the Lord about her recently.
He said, If you pursue this, you will be cut deeper than you were before.
In other words, His blessing is not on this friendship, so don’t push it.
She betrayed me and I have forgiven her.
Sometimes God wants us to remain with these people and other times not.
It is important to hear from Jesus. To be sensitive to His Holy Spirit to be able to discern what His will is.
I had a new friend, someone who reached out to me.
I wasn’t sure about a friendship with her. A situation came up and she lacks grace.
Now it’s up to me to decide if I want to live with that as a ministry.
Would you want a friend who considered you a ministry?
I would not.
I had one of those friends who I think did just that. She corrected me all the time.
I finally realized she doesn’t like me and moved on.
It took a while, more than 3 decades, but that was the bottom line.
I suppose in my decision for this new person, it should be to recognize that we are not a good match.
A charity friendship? I don’t think that will work very well.
As the Lord removes the dross, which sometimes can be people, don’t fret about it.
Give them love while you can. Share the gospel while you can.
There is a time coming when we will feel alone. Many people will not be able to follow Jesus
unless they are very strong in the power of His might. We need to be sensitive to what He is doing.
Some of our family members may not be loyal to us or even care about us.
Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth?
I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided,
three against two, and two against three.
The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father;
the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother;
the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Luke 12:51-53
The moral of the story is to follow Jesus,. Love who He gives you to love.
Be gracious, giving and try as hard as you can to do things to please Him and then, keep moving,
keep following Him, keep Jesus as your focus. Keep your hands clean and pure,
keeping free of the dross when you can. He will take care of the rest.