Dragging Them to Drink

Isaiah 12:3
With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!

My last blog I discussed about basking in the sun and those Christians who are looking for a water source and eventually end up finding Jesus.  Now I want to speak about those who we try to “drag” to the water.  Like our poor puppy in this picture for instance.  We had taken her on a very long walk for her age at the time.  She was exhausted and ready to just rest.  We knew she needed water and just feet in front of her was a river she could quench her thirst with, yet she refused.  We had to literally almost drag her to the source of water so she could get relief even though she fought us the entire way…sound like some people we know that need Jesus or revival?  Once we got her to the water she was able to understand why we were so insistent on her moving and it can be this way with people too.

So many times I would try to talk people “into” Jesus only to be disappointed they did not seem interested.  Take my dad for instance, he told me once that he would deal with this Jesus on his own and in the way he wanted to.  My dad thinks that since he fought in the Koren war, he did not deserve Jesus.  And even though he never killed anyone, he still takes on the guilt of the situation.  I tried over and over to help him see it in the light of God’s perspective, yet no change, not even a budge.  Now I just let him deal with things his own way while I pray that some day he will just decide to choose Jesus.  I pray God sends someone into his life just in time.

Do you have some people in your life that you feel just need Jesus?  Do you badger them and beg them to come to church?  I used to but not anymore.  It is not my place to be the judge.  I invite.  I let people know when revival meetings are and then I pray.  The other thing I do is to live by example.  Jesus said our lives will be a testimony of God’s grace and that’s how we should live.  When others begin to see the God in us, they will begin to hunger for that same peace.  Soon they will be asking questions and prodding you for answers as to why your are getting so blessed.  It’s so much better than dragging them even though we feel they need it.

In conclusion, we need to live by example more often.  We can invite people to church but let’s not keep pushing.  I have several persons I just know God will lay it upon their hearts soon to come to Him to quench their thirst.  We are to be the light of the world, the salt of the earth, not the pushy, preaching, persistent Christians.  When we step back a bit and just let God be seen in us, that’s when God can do His best work.