Keep The Faith

Have you ever wanted to give up on a person you have been praying for, witnessing to, or inviting to join you at church?  The temptation after a while is to say, “They will never come to Jesus!”

        But the story of Nicodemus encourages us to never give up.  Nicodemus did not give his life to Jesus right away even though Jesus personally invited Nicodemus to trust in Him.  It was not until the end of Jesus’ life that Nicodemus finally took a public stand declaring his total commitment to Jesus as John 19:39—40 tells us:

Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight.  So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

        Nicodemus was not alone in this “later conversion” pattern for we note in Scripture that even Jesus’ half brothers committed their lives to Him after Jesus’ crucifixion.  So, here are a few steps that can assist us to keep the faith:

1. In our prayers let us spend time focusing on the greatness of the God who can change lives, not on the greatness of the change in lives that needs to occur.
2. Be patient. As a fruit of the Holy Spirit patience reveals that we are depending on God to do the work, in His time.
3. Play our part. Keep praying and inviting these individuals to trust in Jesus or to attend church for we never know when a person may choose to take a stand for Jesus.