When It Comes to People...
When it comes to people, we must remember three very important things:
You can’t live their life for them- it is not yours to live.
You can’t make their choices for them.
It’s not your battle to change them or convince them of truth.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2 (KJV)
First of all, we all know people who do not live for God, or if they have accepted Jesus as their Savior, they are lukewarm and content with the status quo with no desire to go further or deeper in God. While we can live in a godly manner before them and demonstrate a life of commitment to Christ, we cannot live their life for them. We must let them live their own lives, whether they are right or wrong. We can tell them the truth, but we must leave it at that. It may pain us to see them making mistakes and living a life that is less than Jesus died to give them, but each person has the right to live his or her own life.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV)
Next, we cannot make their choices for them. We can present the right choices to them, but ultimately, they must choose the way they will go in any given situation. If they listen to us as we give them godly counsel, then they will learn and grow. If not, the lessons they learn will come the hard way or they may not learn anything at all. Every person must choose: God or satan, life or death, blessing or cursing, heaven or hell. A humble, teachable person will go far with God, but if a person is stubborn, stiff-necked and dispbedient, then they will reap the consequences of their wrong choices. We cannot violate their own free will.
And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's…Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you. II Chronicles 20:15, 17 (KJV)
Lastly, it is not up to us to change people- or even to convince them that they are in the wrong. We can love, pray for, witness to, and give to others, but the bottom line is that we have to leave it to God to change them, as well as their own willingness and desire to change. It is not our battle to fight. We are not to carry the care of others, worrying about their bad lifestyles and negative choices that keep them in a life of sin. We cannot force people to let go of their sins- they must want to- and that is the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot take on the task of changig people, since only God can truly change a person. If they let God change them, then fine. But, if they do not yield to God and refuse to be changed, then we must move on.
We are responsible for our own lives, being and doing what God called us to. When we accept that we can only control ourselves and not others, we will be happy, peaceful, and balanced in our walk with God. We must follow God whether with or without them. Don’t carry the care for someone else’s life and choices, but cast it all on God and walk free from it. The bottom line is that each of us must choose whom we will serve and how we will live.
