And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and He said to him, You lack one thing; go and sell all you have and give it all to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come and accompany Me . At that saying the man’s countenance fell and was gloomy, and he went away grieved and sorrowing, for he was holding great possessions.    -Mark 10:21-22

Do you have someone you want to see walk with God, but they want nothing to do with Him? You’ve been believing forever, you want it to happen so bad, you’ve done everything you know to do and yet, they still want nothing to do with God.

This might offend you, but perhaps the best thing you can do is let them walk away. Jesus invited the young rich ruler to follow Him and be a disciple! The cost: he had to give up everything. He couldn’t do it. He walked away.

I find it interesting that Jesus didn’t stop him and say, “Do you know what you’re going to miss out on? I’m giving you a chance to change history!” Instead, He just let him walk away.

The same thing happened in the parable of the prodigal son. The father let his son have all the inheritance, leave, & go nuts. He didn’t stop him, even though he could of. He let him walk.

The son, through crazy circumstances, the son repents and comes back (on his own accord). The Father overwhelmed with joy, welcomes him home. He said, “We have to celebrate this happy day. For my son was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost, but now He is found.”

The son came back. What an awesome moment!  I believe that if we’ll trust God with the people that walk away, that one day, they will come back. When they do, we’ll know that we had a part in it, because while we may have let them walk, that didn’t stop us from praying for them and trusting God to move in their lives.

If you’ve been struggling with someone you’ve been believing God for, keep trusting God to do a work in their life, encourage them when you can, love them unconditionally, and always remember this:

God cares more for the person who walked away then we ever could.

And when they do come back. Celebrate. Celebrate like you’ve never celebrated before. Because what was once dead, has no become alive. What was once lost, is now found. What an incredible thing.

Thoughts?

⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.                                                                         -Romans 5:8

God’s been teaching me to never judge a person by their cover. It’s so easy to judge people isn’t it? “That person never went to college” “That person will never be a great leader” “They need help” “At best they’ll do _____ with their lives.” “They don’t have what it takes.” I often wonder what God is thinking when  He hears us say these things about His kids!

God is the master at taking someone who the world deems worthless and doing unbelievable things in and through their lives. Why? Because God sees greatness in every living human being. Including YOU!

The Bible said that Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. We were absolutely worthless to God, but He saw greatness in us, He made a plan for our lives, He put gifts within us, and sent His Son to die so we could fellowship with Him. I’m so glad He didn’t judge me by my cover. It gives me hope for my future!

However, millions of people never hear what God says about them. Millions everyday hear people judging them based on who they are or what they’ve done, and sadly it’s often from Christians. When we judge people and fail to see them through God’s eyes, we will destroy Hope in their lives.

Let’s quit judging people and start lifting them. Stop judging people by their cover. See every person with the potential God sees in them. If we do, we’ll free them up to be who God called them to be and do what God called them to do!

People need us to see them as God sees them!

This book was a gift from Zack Blair, what a great gift it ended up being! (I think books are the best gift someone can give!) This book is definitely a must read. We’re all in need of discovering how much God loves us, and this book really helps you grasp that truth. I’m really learning that all I need to do in life is know and pursue God with all of my heart. A simple thing to talk about, a little harder to live. This book will point you in the right direction toward total surrender.

Final Grade: A+    Buy it here

Here are some highlights to spark your interest:

• We forget that we have everything we need in Him

• The point of your life is to point  to Him, whatever you’re doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is his.

• In about fifty years, no one will remember you

• God will ensure my success in accordance with His plan, not mine

• Are we in love with God or just His stuff?

• Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with neighbors, coworkers, or friends

• Would your life look differently if you stopped believing in God?

• Jesus call to commitment is clear: He wants all or nothing.

• “Our greatest fear as individuals or the church should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”

• Would you be satisfied in Heaven if  you had all your friends, family, houses, etc. and didn’t have Christ

• Giving that is not motivated by love is worthless.

• What are you doing right now that required faith?

• The thing that matters most is how we use what we have been given, not how much we make or do compared to someone else.

• Let God be as original with you as He is with other people.

• The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life.