the other day i found out that my friend, whom i love very much, (who had previously made a statement of faith in Christ) is not a true believer. my friend told me this and expressed a feeling of uncertainty about Christianity and God, explaining they wanted to believe it for themselves--not just pretend. on the one hand, i'm thankful that they are being honest. i'd so much rather have one be in admittance about their unsaved state, than just go with the flow pretending to be a christian. on the other hand though, my heart is broken. i've know this person for most of my life. for almost half of their life, they've said they were saved.
this is not the first time i've seen someone turn away from the path of Christ. i've know individuals who i have looked up to as godly examples who end up cheating on their spouse and being unrepentant.
no matter how many times i see this, my heart hurts just the same. how could one know of the truth of Christ and His work on the cross and not be broken inside and moved to repentance by it? how could one's heart not be filled with love for THE One who gave His life for us? i don't understand. i'm thankful i don't understand. it is only because of Christ that i don't understand not loving Him. it's because of Christ i have love, true love in my heart. i'm not better than these people. i'm not less of a sinner. it's only by His grace that my eyes and heart were opened to the saving knowledge of Jesus and the joy He brings.
so how do i handle myself around my friend? i feel like i need to use all my time witnessing to this person. i don't know why people spend their time watching movies, reading books or even just eating while something so serious, so deep is going on in my friend's heart. i have to remember that this person's salvation is not up to me. i am called to be a witness and spread the gospel, but it's God who saves! i'm supposed to witness to others for God's glory. He will work His perfect and sovereign plan.
in the meantime, i tell my friend about Jesus. i love him. i pray for grace that i will be a good witness. i pray for patience and humility. i pray God will save my friend. will you pray with me?
Romans 10:17 "...So then faith comes through hearing and hearing through the word of God."
7 comments:
I am sorry about your friend, Maria. That is a hard thing. I hope that your friend begins to feel God's presence in their lives, believing His grace and mercy as really, and that your example will enforce that.
I love you dear Maria! Praise the Lord for showing Himself to you. :) I am thankful He has given you such a passion and sincere love for your friend, for His gospel and for others. He hears the prayers of the righteous. You may be the only one sincerely beseeching the Lord on their behalf. Continue in such fervent prayer knowing your Father hears you. He will answer in His timing and we may not see the results but we know He hears us. My pastor encouraged us to never give up...for those who doubt their salvation or pray and never see the answers....may we die at the foot of the cross...trying...pleading... :) Continue in steadfast love and allow our Lord to work in others knowing our toil is not in vain....i love you sweet Maria
Ah sweetie.....i bet that felt good to let your heart out....even though it's broken from what recently occurred... I yearn to reach out my arms to you and grant you a big hug....from one sister to another...
It's so good to remember that God is the ONLY one who will NEVER let us down... Even our best friends, closet sibling, faithful parents....they will all let us down sometime in our life, but God won't. That assurance is the best of all.
I will keep you in my prayers Maria. Prayer is SO powerful. The phrase "prayers can move mountains" is an understatement.
I love you Maria sissy<3
~mattea<3
Rissi - Thanks so much for reading and commenting. It means a lot! :)
Mrs. Daniels - I love you too! And thanks a bunch for your sweet comment and encouraging words. They really, really blessed me. I'm grateful God put you and your family in my life. Love and miss you! <3
Mattea - I miss you! You ARE my sister and I'm SO thankful for your friendship. Thank you for commenting. I haven't emailed you recently due to my crazy schedule but you've been in my thoughts!!! Thanks for your prayers, it means so much! Love you!
Hiya, Maria.
I will pray with you. I have a friend who states she's a "Christian" on FB but does not live it. I pray for her all the time and try to shine my light for her. So don't feel like you are the only one. I'm going through it too.
(p.s) I'm a new follower, love the blog look!
Coming from someone who doesn't know any details about the situation, I would say the best thing you could do is to continue loving your friend, being there for him, and letting him know that you're open to talking about it with him. I've known people who've had doubts about their faith and then felt judged by their friends because of it and turned away from everyone. The most important thing to do is to make sure he knows that he's still loved by you no matter what. And of course prayer. I'll be praying. I hope some of what I said above helps. I know that God will use you to bring glory to Him in this situation, no matter how it turns out.
And nice to meet you, Maria. :)
Amen. So good!
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