Don’t rock the boat! Its hard to choose "different".

I often find myself trying to figure out what might be holding someone back from believing in God.  I’ve always been very analytical and have had a hard time with things that aren’t as black and white. Because of this I tend to think that people just need more evidence.  More proof and logical reasoning should do it.  I’ve spent a lot of time researching arguments on both sides based on science, history, and philosophy which has been a great help to my faith, but often falls short for others.  One day I was again thinking about what holds people back and remembered this passage.

Matthew 10 34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and a person’s enemies will be the members of his household. 37 “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.

I started to wonder what might stir up emotions so strong it might turn me against my father, my son, or what might turn them against me.  I thought that only a very strong belief could do this, as religion tends to be.  But then I remembered another passage.

John 12 42 Nevertheless many, even of the rulers, believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, so that they would not be excommunicated from the synagogue; 43 for they loved the approval of people rather than the approval of God.

I think that we need to recognize that sometimes people just don’t want to believe whether it is belief in God or changing their position on a matter of scriptural interpretation.  We also need to be willing to admit that this is a trap we could fall into as well.  Its hard to admit you were wrong, and harder to part ways with those you love.  Sometimes a persons entire identity is wrapped around something they would have to give up if they accepted God.  Its also possible that, for someone to change their position, they would have to recognize that they have spent many years teaching error.  This could be very hard to accept.

Another way that people can hold us back is through the grudges we hold.  No one likes to be corrected, but if the one correcting you is arrogant and judgmental it often makes us unwilling to listen.  When people don’t follow the direction given in the Bible to be gracious we tend to focus on how they said it and not what they said.

Colossians 4 5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

I think this is an important point to make because it shows how we could be letting someone else hold us back, or worse, separate us from God. We have to realize that even people we don’t like can be right every once in a while.  We have to understand that it is between us and God, not us and them.  We need to do this because there is so much more at stake. Everything is at stake. 

Matthew 13 44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold everything that he had and bought it. 47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered fish of every kind; 48 and when it was filled, they pulled it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. 49 So it will be at the end of the age: the angels will come forth and remove the wicked from among the righteous, 50 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

That is the “stick”, there is also a carrot:

Romans 8 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

I think we gloss over this “children of God and heirs with Christ” let that sink in.  We can’t let anything get in our way, even ourselves.