Maybe you've had concern for someone who had a relationship with Jesus for a long while, but perhaps the relationship was left untended. Weeds have crept in and overtaken. They seem to be casting everybody and everything good aside and settling instead for cheap imitations. But there is no adequate replacement for Jesus.
Or perhaps they've never been interested in anything to do with Jesus. Daily life has them bobbing up and down, up and down, up and down, in a never-ending sea of chaos. But Jesus would bring a calm to their daily storms.
Maybe you've just wanted to grab said individual or individuals, and put the age-old adage "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink" to the test... and shove their face as close to the water as you can... and implore them to "Drink!!!"
Clearly you're thirsty.
Drink Jesus.
Don't drink that. It's killing you.
Don't drink that. It's wounding your wife.
Don't drink that. It's breaking Jesus' heart.
Don't drink that. It's destroying your dad.
Don't drink that. It's negatively affecting every blessing Jesus has ever given you.
Drink Jesus.
Drink from the only source that can truly quench your thirst.
But if you were to do this... manhandle your friend and shove their face in the pond... it might backfire. They might drown. They might throat punch you. They might run about as far from Jesus and you as their stubborn legs can carry them.
It might not work.
As much as sometimes we all would like to, we can't plow people over with Jesus. We can't tackle them with Jesus. We can't pelt them with Jesus snow balls or splatter them with Jesus paint balls. (Or can we??? Hmmm... that might be fun!) More often than not, it would do more harm than good.
Does your inner brain ninja scream belligerently, "So, what then do we do?!?!"
We point people to Jesus. (*Point = not manhandle violently.) And prior, during, and after, and as many times as necessary, we pray. (This is where we battle fervently... so... bring it, prayer warrior.)
When we look at our John passage this week, we see a beautiful example of the growth that happens when we simply point people to Jesus.
John is quick to point two of his own disciples to Jesus. "Behold, the Lamb of God!" What happens next? The two disciples heard what John had to say, and followed Jesus. Jesus asks them what they are seeking, and invites them to come and see. And they do. One of the disciples finds his brother and... you guessed it... brings him to Jesus.
And thus began a transformational movement of epic proportions that continues today.
John could have kept his own disciples around for the sake of his own comfort or vanity. But he doesn't. He points them to Jesus.
Andrew could have let selfishness or pride or family drama keep him from seeking out his brother. But he doesn't. He points his brother to Jesus.
Seems like a good idea.
But... what if... you point and nothing happens?
Pray. This does not mean you are not allowed to speak into someone's life at all when the Lord leads. We do need to actually point people TO Jesus. The Lord may lead you to point in a different way... maybe through a heartfelt conversation. Life-on-life discipleship. Or he simply may instruct you to continue to pray while He does some work.
Pray.
God changes hearts.
We pray.
We point people to Jesus and we pray.
The same God who had His eye on them before they were created is the same Jesus who had them on His mind when He was on the cross is the very same God who sees them now and hears your prayers.
Keep praying.
Here is some Scripture to reflect on as you pray for your loved ones this week. The same truths are for you as they are for whomever God has laid on your heart this week.
Isaiah 52:12 "For you shall not go out in haste,
and you shall not go in flight,
for the Lord will go before you,
and the God of Israel will be your rear guard."
Jeremiah 1:5a "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you."
Jeremiah 31:3 "the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."
John 12:32 "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
Ezekiel 34:11 "For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out."
Ezekiel 34:16 "I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice."
Pastor Celia
Thank you Pastor Celia. Great blog and I like Ezekiel 34:16. Great reminder.
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