January 15, 2007

Honoring Beliefs

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Luke 18:18-23 – And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.

People grow up from different backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. As Christians, we are called to make disciples of all nations, but what do we do when people don’t want to hear about God, accept our invitations to attend church, or receive our messages of salvation?

If someone chooses not to believe in Jesus, that is their ‘right.’ Jesus told the ruler what he must do to receive eternal life and the ruler chose not to accept it. Throughout their conversation, Jesus did not badger, argue, or complain with him.

If people choose not to believe in Jesus or accept your invitations, pray for them and continue being a light by loving them (Matthew 5:14-16). There is no need to badger, argue, or complain with people that are unwilling to believe in Jesus or accept your invitations.

^{Photo courtesy of freeimages.com/Thomas Picard}