How many people have you dealt with in life and thought they will never change their ways? How many people have you heard prayer requests for years and years and have not seen any changes in their lives? How many family members have you been talking and praying with about changing their behavior and seen little or no results. The easiest thing for us to do is to say that we just give up on them. They are never going to do any differently than they are doing. My Bible reading this morning talked about the importance of not giving up, of not leaving them only to an evil influence. (1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.) We have to be like God and see the potential instead of the immediate product. We have to stop adding up their wrongs and reminding them of the things they are doing and start talking about the potential they have. The last thing a beat down person needs is someone who only beats them down further. We need to be an encouragement, I didn’t say an enabler, I said an encouragement. We all need to remember the love, mercy, and patience God has shown us in our lives. None of us deserved God’s love when He reached down to us. If you have a family member, loved one, or friend that you want to see a change in their life, don’t give up. Keep trying. They need to know someone cares about them. Pastor Don [image: image.png]