Heart Felt

On this somber day of remembering the loss and pain we all experienced so many years ago, my mind fills with faces I cherish and people I love. We all have friends we wish would make better choices. We all have that crazy uncle we wish would not tell such off color jokes at family get togethers. We all have a very special loved one we wish would turn to God and accept Jesus as Savior. The ache deep inside every Christian’s soul for the people they care about to take the step into eternity is always present until those friends make the decision to follow Christ. The Apostle Paul said that he wishes that he could be cut off from his own salvation for the sake of the people he so deeply cared about. Jesus even prayed that His future followers would be of such unity and love that we would attract others to the love of God. It is interesting to me that the joy I have in Jesus and the hope of my future reward for my beliefs somehow produce such great sorrow for those who have not chosen the grace freely offered by the One who saved my soul. As many of you, I have prayed and prayed that Jesus would somehow make Himself known in such an obvious way that my loved ones would simply fall to their knees and ask God to save them. And, as many of you, my patience runs thin and my heart feels as if it’s going to brake free of my chest if something doesn’t happen soon. Waiting takes patience but there is no one more patient than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is not extending His return simply to test and frustrate His children’s belief and endurance, He is waiting for people who are not His children to repent and become our brothers and sisters. The Apostle Peter had a firm handle on this when he wrote, “But do not forget this one thing dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousands years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8&9) All of us have important people in our lives that do not have the hope that we have, therefore, we must trust in Jesus’ patience. Yes, we wish we could trade our salvation for someone we love, but we also wish Jesus would come sooner than later. The key to living until that Glorious Return is to learn to live in the balance between joy and sorrow, hope and fear. So be encouraged, Jesus knows our heart and He knows our desire and knows who we fear for. He is patient that all should come to know Him.

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