February 28, 2011

Do you have any friends who are unbelievers? Have you been active in trying to show your faith to them? I don't mean that you should go around and hand out pocket gospels to everyone you come into contact with (although, if you want to, I'm not going to argue). How do you treat them? Do you find yourself looking down on them? Let's think about this for a moment, and try to figure out why it is we sometimes do this. I think we try to put an expectation of holy living on a group of people that have not within them the capacity for such a life. The motivation for us to live a life of holiness is the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. For someone who has not yet accepted Christ, the Spirit is not living within them. This should not make us be condescending towards our unsaved friends, but make us ever more compassionate. I have a desire to bring as many of my friends and loved ones with me to heaven as possible and you should too! Remember that at the moment they are still captive to the world and in bondage of sin. Christ sets us free of that bondage and makes us his own possession (I realize this is a bit paradoxical, and a subject of many more posts to come). The only way to view your friends is to see that they are in need of emancipation. They need to see that being a Christian is the only way to achieve real joy and fulfillment. Be tenderhearted and always be ready to lend a hand. Demonstrate the love of Christ, be the hands and feet. Be the good Samaritan in the figurative sense, stop and render life-saving aid, no matter the cost and risk. Love your unsaved friends without reservation. Remember, you were once as they are now.