Bestie oh bestie

I'm very worried for the soul of my best friend. She confided in my boyfriend and I that she no longer even believes in Jesus. Part of that is that she was never taught to go to church regularly. Another is that she, at one point, had other best friends who were Christians. And they left her. Just completely abandoned her because, well, she's full of drama. She's an only child, and when things don't go the way she's planned them, she gets very upset. That's beyond the point though. The fact is that the friends who abandoned her really tainted the name of Christians. Well, now, she and I are best friends, and a few of the girls who abandoned her are also my friends. As far as I've observed, that's all water under the bridge. I've talked to those girls about what happened too. And they've told me that they regret doing that in the way they did so. They wanted her to have friends, but they just didn't want to be those friends. I can completely understand that because there are some days that I just want to tell her to leave, but would that be showing Christ's love? NO! Not even a little bit. It's something I've been losing sleep over, and I just don't know how to approach her about it. I know that I can't just push it on her, but how do I encourage her to attend church with me? Prayer, I know, is my biggest weapon in this battle against Satan's control. James 4:7 "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
On a completely different and more positive note, my boyfriend has completely taken off in his relationship with Jesus. He's been taken under the wing of one of my best friends, who is also my ex, and has joined a bible study and a college aged youth group on the UW Madison campus. I'm so happy about it because it is so good for him. The one thing that worries me is that his friend is moving back soon, and that friend brings out the worst in him. I brought it to his attention tonight, and said that he's a completely different person when this friend is around. I think he realizes it, but doesn't know how to be "better". So, though I know I can't control him, I would like him to limit the hours he spends with this friend. It's just not good company. 1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character."

Maybe you, dear friends, should examine your friendships, and even your relationships with co workers to see if your good character is being corrupted by bad company.

~B

Retaliation

Matthew 5:39 "But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." A Christian needs not retaliate... especially to their superiors. I stress this even more so if their superiors are not saved. How can one show their faith if they're acting just as the world does. We're supposed to be IN the world, but not OF the world. By retaliating, one is playing right into their hands. I admit that it's not easy when one's grown up like this, but wouldn't things be a bit calmer if you started the peace treaty? Unbelievers can't be held to the same standards as believers are. They're just not at that same level of understanding. Jesus loved the unbelievers through their trials and their "ugly moments". Isn't our job as Christians supposed to be to follow Jesus' example? So, I'm telling you to love these people even though their unbelieving attitudes rear their ugly heads more often than not.
How can you be a witness to them if you're doing the exact same thing back by arguing with them? How can you not be concerned for their future to the point that you don't even show them the love of Jesus? They're going to get to their judgement and question, "Why didn't he ever insist on this? Why did he never show us this? And why did he act this way, but still gets the reward of eternal life with Jesus?" Can you live with the guilt? Bitterness might allow you to. It's allowed me to thus far, but I don't think I'll be able to live with it when unbelievers who have taken big roles in my life meet their judgement. I can't say who's saved and who's not. All I can say is whether or not people are showing signs of being saved. And if they're not showing such signs, then witness to them as best you can. Even if they don't accept Christ on that occasion, you've planted a seed and are building up your rewards in heaven.
B