Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them
Paul tells us we as Christians have come out of the darkness. We are the light. We must live like we are the light, helping those who are still living in darkness to come out. We cannot be fooled by empty promises or words. We know God’s law, and we know what is right and wrong. He tells us not to avoid people who are in the darkness, but the works of darkness itself. We are not to turn away from people who are struggling with sin. We are not promoting the sin, we are not tolerating the sin, we are not accepting the sin. We are merely loving the person, as Jesus called us to do, and it is possible that our love can help be the light for that person.
This can still be a fine line to walk. Loving a person who is living a life of sin can still bring about questions. I would say it takes a lot of prayer to know that you are still following God’s calling about loving them, but making sure we are not falling into the trap of darkness. Attending events promoting things that we believe are wrong is not a good way to show love. Praying for them, letting them know you are praying for them, is. We must expose the darkness they are in, and not let ourselves get caught in the lies and webs. It is a constant battle between good and evil. We must always be prepared. It will get darker before it gets better.
We must love them as ourselves. We need to be patient with ourself and open ourselves to God’s grace. We must encourage those who are struggling with sin to do the same. They need to understand they are still God’s child. And that God wants them to turn back to them. And we need to be patient with them. It takes baby steps to come out of the darkness. We must celebrate every step forward, every crack in their heart that allows the Lord in. Let us rejoice in their successes and be with them if they slip back.
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