They changed, He didn't

“Lisa, where are you coming from?"
“From Linda's," Lisa replied, untying the ropes of her sandals.


Grace arched a brow, “Linda's?"

Lisa looked up from where she sat. “Yes. Linda's."

“Just the day before, we talked about this. When..."

“Save it Grace!” Lisa snapped. “Linda is not the devil. She's human, and she needs help. I am willing to offer that help." Lisa added wearing a frown.

“This lady will switch you off!" Grace declared.

Lisa wore a confused look as she leaned back on the sofa. When Grace said nothing, Lisa gave her a questionable look expecting her to explain herself. Grace took a seat on the arm of the sofa, so she could look into her housemate's eyes.

Counting her fingers, Grace started. “One, Linda takes hot drinks. Two, she smokes. Three, she gallivants with different men. She does any bad thing a bad girl does, and that's the person you chose to befriend? This lady doesn't even value the friendship you're forcing on her. She doesn't even... I mean, how do you guys communicate? On what frequency do you two relate?"

Lisa took a deep breath, gave Grace a deep stare and replied, “Starting from your last question; we are both ladies. So it's on that frequency we relate. Secondly, you've met her how many times now? Five times? While I've known her since I was in my final year. That's over a year now. 

 

"And, yes, she does insult me sometimes, but deep down, she values and likes me." Lisa continued. "As a matter of fact, that's how she expresses love to the one she loves. And to your first question, because she does all these things, I'm trying to change her. Beneath all the bad things she does, she has a good heart."

Grace shook her head as she heard the words spew out of Lisa's mouth.

“Who is our Lord and Saviour?" She asked in a low tone, as she slipped from the arm of the sofa to sit right beside Lisa.

“What point are you trying to make?"

“You'd have to answer the questions to get my point."

“Questions?" Lisa asked, wearing a frown.

“Who is our Lord and Saviour?" Grace reiterated her question.

Lisa grudgingly replied, folding her hands against her chest, knowing that Grace would not let her go if she did not respond. “Jesus Christ."

“Who can drag someone out of hell?"

Lisa shot her an annoying look, sighed deeply and replied. “Jesus Christ."

“Who..."

“The answer is Jesus Christ." Lisa cut in curtly.

“You didn't wait to hear the question..."

“But that's the answer, right?"

“I was going to ask... Who else aside from Jesus has the power to change someone?"

“Err, no one..."

“Are you sure?" Grace pressed her.

Lisa turned to stare at her. She wasn't staring at her the whole time. She just looked straight ahead.

“Last I checked, no one aside from Christ has the power to change someone."

“Well, that's not true," Grace replied, stood from the sofa, and headed for the kitchen.

Lisa immediately followed behind. “Have you started reading those theological books again? Or you've started listening to those strange preachers?" 

Grace took a bottle of water from the fridge, poured it into a cup, gulped it down, and filled the cup again with water from the tap at the sink. She dropped the cup on the kitchen island and bent over the table, while Lisa took a seat on one of the long stools.

“This has nothing to do with theology. It's reality. There's another person who can change a person aside from Jesus."

“If you mean God, the Bible has made us understand they are One. Therefore, Jesus is also God."

Grace let out a small laugh. “I'm not talking about God here. I'm talking about you."

Lisa's eyes widened. “Me?" She repeated as she pressed her palm against her chest.

“Yes, you, Lisa. You do not just have the power to change someone; you’re also a Saviour." Grace smiled.

“What are you talking about?" Lisa demanded.

“You said it yourself, and in your own words: ‘She's human, and she needs help. I am willing to offer the help.'" 

“Where's this conversation going?" Lisa inquired, paying rapt attention. 

“Come with me," Grace said tersely.

Lisa obeyed, walking quietly behind. Grace headed for the living room. She went along with the water in the cup, and the one in the bottle. She asked Lisa to pick up her sandals and they both headed outside the house. 

“Study this scenario very well," Grace said with a touch of command in her tone. 

Lisa stood by the door, hands folded, paying full attention. 

“If you're walking in or fell into the mud, you'd get stained. Look at your sandals. There's mud beneath it." Grace bent down to turn the sandal over to the back. “But if we pour water on your sandals...," She poured half the content of the cup onto the back of the sandals, and it washed away a small amount of mud.

“It would get clean, at least a bit." She continued and added. 
“However, if you pour the water totally into the mud, what does it become?" She asked and emptied the water in the cup onto the back of the sandals, still, there were traces of mud on the back of the sandals. “Part of the mud!" She declared. “You wouldn't even see or have an idea that water has been poured on it, except that there's now muddy water. Whether it's mud or muddy water, it doesn't change the fact that it's still mud! Are you getting my illustration??"

Lisa scratched her chin and twitched the corner of her mouth. “A little, I guess. Where exactly are you getting with this?"

Grace smiled and stood to her feet. “Let's say for example; you hug someone who has been stained with mud, you'd be stained yourself. However, if you stand some meters away and throw water on the person, they'd get clean." She moved closer to Lisa and put her arm around her neck as they both watched the sandals drip with muddy water. 

“Lisa, you're trying to be the water. By trying to be the water, you're taking the place of Jesus. You should be the cup or the bottle instead. They both house the water. From afar, you should let Linda see Jesus. If you take a look at the cup, it's also stained with mud; because I handled it with the same hand I used to handle the sandal. Guess what, that cup cannot come into the house again, because it has been stained by mud, and no matter how much strength and time you put in washing it, each time you pick it up, there'll always be this knowing that mud had stained it."

“Look at the bottle over there," Grace said and pointed at the bottle standing far from the sandals. She took two steps towards it, opened it, and without bending, she poured the water onto the sandals, and this time, all the mud underneath it was washed away. “Did you see the distance from which I poured the water? That's how it should be. You should share Jesus with her from a distance. It's not the bottle that washed away the mud; it's the water in it. You are the bottle, housing Jesus. From afar, you water Linda in whatever capacity you can with the Word of God, not by getting so close to her like this cup such that you also get stained."

“But Jesus ate with publicans and sinners," Lisa replied after a brief moment of silence, trying to digest what Grace had said.

“He ate with the publicans, he didn't live with them. He ate with sinners, he didn't make them friends. As much as he indulged, and welcomed them; they changed. He didn't!"

Lisa went quiet and sighed deeply.

“It's the same scenario here. Jesus was sometimes seen with sinners, but he didn't get stained with their sin. He used the opportunity to offer His Father to them. His primary friends and close pals were His disciples and the brethren who walked with them. It's from “outside their circle" you evangelize to such people, not by being close to them... You're human, you can end up being like them in the long run."

“Also, the wrong notion you're having is that you can change her. Lisa, no one has the power to change anyone except Christ. Just like the way I poured water from the bottle without being so close to the sandals, you also can offer Jesus to Linda without being so close. Look at the sandals, did it or did it not get clean? It even looked neater than when I was so close to it. Offer Jesus to Linda. Not yourself. He is the one who saves and changes. Not you!"

Lisa turned, walked in, and slumped on a sofa. “I'd always felt this nudge to stay away from her, but still not leave her. I thought it was the devil trying to discourage me from reaching out to her. I actually like her as a human, but I thought moving close to her would help me preach Jesus to her, and I sincerely thought I could change her." She lamented bitterly, as she cupped her hands in her face, about to cry. 

“Another way to always offer Jesus to her is by praying for her. That way, you understand you're not walking just by your power or by your might, but by God's Spirit!" Grace comforted her as she put her hands over Lisa's shoulders.

“I cannot deny that at some point, I felt envious. I thought she lived a free life and wanted one for myself. I thought she enjoyed life and I also wanted to enjoy life. I almost..." She sniffed, trying to fight the tears. “I almost took a shot the other day. She forced me. She said if I didn't take it, she wouldn't let me anywhere near her. My mum's call came in at that time. That was what saved me, 'cause I had already picked up the glass." She couldn't fight the tears anymore. They poured down her cheeks.

“Jesus used the call from your mother to save you. Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 that,

“Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?" (NLT)

Apostle Paul wasn't just referring to a partner in marriage. He was talking about all forms of partners, most especially, friendship. Some keep unbelievers as besties. Some keep them as their go-to person any day, any time. Some have more unbelievers as friends than believers under the guise of ‘they need Christ, I need to preach to them.’ Or they use the Scripture that said Jesus ate with Sinners. Some even go as far as getting into a relationship or even getting married to an unbeliever because you have seen their future that they will become a pastor or something. Or you've been praying for them to change so you believe they'd change when you get married to them. It's a very dangerous game to play. 

Dear reader, you have no power in your hand to change anyone. Only Jesus has that power. Why don't you play your part by showing them the person of Jesus, starting from your character? Then on your knees, you give Jesus to them, and give them to Jesus. Not that you make them acquaintances. No one is saying you should run from them, because if you do, who will preach to them?? That your boss at the office, that your colleague at work, that your classmate, your coursemate, even your roommate... Do you claim to be closer to them just to preach Jesus to them or they're the ones preaching the devil to you?? You cannot be friends with someone and not have the same ideologies. One day, that party he or she has been inviting you to, you'll go with them, and you'll have been long lost before you even know what's happening. Before that time comes, cut the ungodly relationship and cling to Christ and your believing friends. Cut the ungodly ties and preach to them. More importantly, do not forget the place of Christ in the journey. He alone can save them. 

Jesus being the Son of God knew better than to get too close to the sinners and publicans He ate with. When He was on earth, He was God as much as He was man. He could fall into temptations. If He couldn't, satan wouldn't have attempted to tempt Him! Dear Christian, be Real in your Christianity. Associates more with people of like-minds; with believers like yourself. Not unbelievers who'll stain you.

If you're reading this, and you're trying without success to break an ungodly relationship, I pray for you right now, that you receive wisdom and help from the Holy Spirit to break it off, in the name of Jesus! 

If you happen to be the one who has backslid because of an ungodly relationship, I pray for you, may you be restored in Jesus' name!

Lastly, if you're about to enter into an ungodly relationship, it doesn't have to be a romantic relationship, could be a friendship... I pray for you right now, that you receive the wisdom to resist the darkness coming at you, in Jesus, name! 

Amen.