"We write this to make our joy complete."
The introduction to this book in my Bible says that John wrote this letter " out of his love for his brothers and sisters in Christ to expose false teachers, and to give assurance of salvation" John wanted to save early Christians from Gnosticism so that they wouldn't be led away from the truth Christ really gives us. He is a great example for us because he cared so much for these people even though they were turning away from Christ and living without any morals. I know that if I had been in his position I might have been tempted to give up and let them make their own decisions. How sinful is that!
When I think of my friends that do not share the same faith I do, I feel like all I can do is pray, because I know that they know about God, and they know that I am a Christian. I have talked to them about what I believe and confessed my faith to them, but after the first few times I stopped expecting anything to change. Giving up on people, especially close friends that don't believe, is something I struggle with. I never know if there is anything I can do, and if there is I am too afraid to do anything about it.
I would love to follow John's example in my life - especially since I am going into the public ministry! Doing what he did made his "joy complete" and pleased God! This week I'm praying for boldness :)
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I can feel your excitement to share Jesus! :) He is with you always.
ReplyDeleteI have also felt the sting of not being able to help lead those around me to Jesus. It hurts to know that some of the people I love the very most have been led astray into worldliness. What's really, really sad is that those same people have been pushed away from God by misunderstanding. They judge Christianity by the actions of a few Christians and leave it at that. I wish so much that I could just make them see the truth and remove the blindfold from their eyes, but I'm terrified of further pushing them away. I can only pray that by example and through prayer that those who've been deceived may know the truth about Christ; that he is loving, forgiving and kind and that his rules are there to protect us and aid us in living a Godly life.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, thank you all for inviting me to be apart of your group!~ I'm sorry I haven't posted anything before this, but I was honestly just enjoying reading everyone else's posts! You ladies have a lot of wisdom and faith!~ :-)
I know exactly what you mean Zoyia. All of my friends have a preconceived notion of Christians and what it would be like to be one. One of their main ideas of Christians is that they are all weak and delusional. It's so sad to see. But we can pray! :)
ReplyDeleteJesus works miracles and is always doing way more than we can see with our own eyes! My Dad always used to encourage me that people don't forget what you say in love and truth. Maybe they'll think about it later that night or maybe 20 years later - but we're only responsible for planting and planting those seeds. Thankfully, it's not up to us to grow them - God's got a plan, so don't be fearful! Keep up your good witness and walk and talk what you believe! These unbelieving friends may thank you tremendously some day. I pray so! :) Praying for courage and strength for you ladies!
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