Grace is about love and patience. It’s about understanding. It’s not accepting of sin but accepting of seasons of growth.
When we truly love God’s people, our first response should be compassion, not anger.
When you realize someone you know and had a level of trust with has been deceived about something in God’s Word, you have a choice to make.
I was tempted to cut ties with someone because they compromised an area of doctrine that truly made me sad. Instead, God offered me a different idea.
He invited me to trust that He has them, and He’s not finished with them yet…same as me.
Sometimes we get very protective of God and His Word (which is absolutely perfect, holy, and sacred). It’s understandable. I’m fiercely protective.
When someone distorts it or misrepresents it through misinterpretation or downright denial, we naturally believe the best course of action is to cut them off. We don’t want to be associated.
But sometimes hardships and experiences distort people’s beliefs just for a season.
Sometimes, we are taught the wrong doctrine and walk in it for years before God opens our eyes.
Grace for someone who is truly seeking the Lord, even if they are in error about something, is more likely to bring them back to the path of Truth than harsh words and rejection.
Grace does not equal acceptance of false doctrine or sin.
Grace is patience.
Some people are genuinely mistaken, not maliciously destructive.
When we truly love God’s people, our first response should be compassion, not anger. We should want the best for one another. Sometimes that means quietly praying for God to move while we wait.
Let’s not be angry with them; let’s pray for them from the deepest love so they don’t wander further from the path. If God quickens you to separate yourself, then by all means, listen to Him. He sees things we cannot. But generally, we are all a work in progress if we are truly seeking Him.
Before we are quick to abandon someone who may need the love and patience of another, check their fruit and examine your own heart.
Savoring Him,
Christin
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