S153P4 – These we must accept: loved ones lost
Mt. 10:34-37
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
When I gave my life to Christ, the first thing I had to do was accept and admit that I was broken and lost. Once I took that step, I immediately started to think about those I loved. My friends who were just as lost as I was came to the forefront of my mind. My family members who had a different faith or no faith at all also became a priority for me. Evangelism was very focused for me in the beginning. I just wanted to reach everyone I loved and see them change as I had changed. Slowly but surely, lines were drawn in the sand, and I had decisions to make. My identity in the Lord would become an obstacle, and some of those relationships would not survive.
I am sure that I am not the only person to accept salvation and then think that God saved me as a bridge to save everyone I love. I thought He would use me as the agent to reach them. What I had not considered was that some of those people would reject him and reject me in the process. When Jesus talks about bringing war, what He means is that war is inevitable when He appears. He is a divisive figure, and people do not sit on the fence about him. You are his friend or his enemy, and there is no middle ground. That might be the most difficult thing for people to accept about him. He does not allow for negotiation or compromise. The Lord and his word must be accepted as the truth they are.
It is a tough pill to swallow, but not everyone we love and care about will enter God’s kingdom with us. Many people we carry in our hearts will reject him, and we have to choose whom we will follow. Remember, the gate to that kingdom is narrow, and few will enter it. We know the command to love our enemies, but I think we often forget that the ones we love could become those very enemies. Even some who are in the Church today will not be found to be in the Church on that day. We simply must trust God’s judgment regarding who will be saved and join us on that day. Father, give us understanding, grace and peace when those we love reject us as they reject You.