Lead them to Jesus!
You can’t drag someone into salvation; they must be lead there.
May 12
For even his brothers didn't believe in him.
John 7:5
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Lead them to Jesus!
In Psalm 69:8 it was predicted that this would be true of the Messiah. It seems kind of sad that those that are closest to Him are sometimes the ones that understand the least about what He is doing. Jesus’ brothers are trying to goad Jesus into doing something that He doesn’t want to do; to go to Jerusalem for the feast of Tabernacles.
The gospels don’t elaborate on this conversation that Jesus had with His brothers and I have wondered what Jesus was feeling at a time like this. Was He sad because His own brothers wouldn’t believe in Him? Might He have had doubts and questions in His mind wondering if anyone else would believe in Him? I believe the answer is no. I don’t believe that He felt sadder regarding His brother’s unbelief than He was about any others who would not believe. I also know that He knew they weren’t going to believe right from the beginning; that’s why He inspired the Psalmist to write Psalm 69:8.
The lesson that we should take from this is that just because we have accepted Jesus and believe Him and seek to follow Him doesn’t mean that our family is going to also. Statistically, we have seen that once one member of the family accepts Jesus that others are likely to follow but it is not guaranteed. Everyone will ultimately have to make their own decision about Jesus. We know that at some point at least one of Jesus’ brothers did come to believe in his older brother but we don’t know if they all did.
What we need to focus on is our own relationship with Jesus and our witness to the rest of the world, including our family. Too often people get consumed with the fact that their family members are not saved, and it actually draws them away from an intense focus on Jesus. The best way to lead someone to Jesus is to let Jesus shine so brightly from your life that they can’t help but see Him. It is Jesus in your life that will be attractive to them. It is Jesus working through the issues of your life that will teach them. It is Jesus carrying you through the trials and tribulations of your life that will cause them to desire what you have. Leave their salvation in the hands of their loving Savior Jesus. You focus on living the life that Jesus died to give you and then allow Him to use you as a witness of His grace, mercy, and power.
You can’t drag someone into salvation; they must be lead there. For you that means that you need to be walking in your salvation making it as attractive as you know how. Once the Holy Spirit has done His work in their hearts then you can come along beside them to help them understand their faith better. Until then you just keep walking with Jesus being a beacon of hope. Jesus, help us to follow You and allow You to shine forth from our lives.
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