Those People

 


Above all, understand this: In the last days blatant scoffers will come, being propelled by their own evil urges and saying, “Where is his promised return? For ever since our ancestors died, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.”  2 Peter 3: 3-4

I am reminded, as I am every time I encounter these verses (2 Peter 3), of how glad I am that Jesus waited for me, and as eager as I am for His return, how glad I am that He is waiting for my loved ones that do not know Him as their Savior yet. Yes, I say yet. I believe that they will come to know Jesus in His perfect will and timing. It may be a hard road, and for that my heart aches, but I know it will be worth it and God will use it.

Hmm. Is this the day to get into a discussion of free will vs predestination? Nah. That’s too heavy. It’s been a week already for me! The thing is, I just know in my heart that my children will love Jesus some day as I do. They might be reading this and rolling their eyes. I accept that. But Jesus loves them even more than I do, though it barely seems possible, and some day they will need that. Some day I may not be here. Some day they may need to care for me. Who knows. All I know is that God has a perfect plan for them, that He loves them, and that His Holy Spirit is at work in their lives drawing things together perfectly to bring them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Ooh, before I step on any toes, I’m not saying all my kids are not walking with God, some of them are! I’m just praying that they all end up that way!

So, how do we deal with those scoffers mentioned in the verses above? Love them. Pray for them. Some of them are the people Jesus died for and is wooing into His kingdom as we speak. Some of them are our future brothers and sisters. I don’t get upset when people try to prove God wrong. Their arguments are so thin and weak for one thing. And it’s not my job to disprove them. That’s God’s job. If He gives me the words, so be it, but if not, I stand on faith. I know what I know, and what I don’t know doesn’t disprove it.

Here's the Thing: There will always be those people. I usually just feel bad for them. But I try not to let it show because that doesn’t go well. I do get a glimmer of hope that the people that are fighting the hardest are actually the ones that are the closest to accepting the truth. Maybe they’re the ones that, if we are patient with them and let them work things out mostly for themselves with a little help from the Holy Spirit, they might just get to the place they need to be without us handing it to them. It’s been my experience that those types of answers are the most powerful.

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