Someone too far Gone

Do you know anyone like this.  Someone, in your opinion, who is too far gone that it would take a miracle for them to turn around and walk in the plans and purpose God has for them.  I know a few.  But I am so thankful that my opinion doesn’t count.  So thankful God doesn’t see them as too far gone, thankful He hasn’t given up.

I started reading in Galatians this morning and I couldn’t get past the 1st chapter.  Paul talks about how God changed his life.  A little background on Saul:

• He agree completely with the killing of Stephen…Acts 8:1
• He wanted to destroy the church…Acts 8:3, the very thing Christ said satan would not destroy…Matt. 16:18
• He was consumed, uttering threats and eager to kill…Acts 9:1

I would say there is not hope for him, he’s too far gone….he’s consumed with killing God’s children and destroying God’s church.

Do you ever think about Saul’s family.  Everyone has a family….a mom, a dad…possibly brothers and sisters.  I wonder if they were believers, I wonder if they were afraid of their own son/brother.  I wonder if they thought there was no hope for him, he was too far gone.  I wonder if they prayed for him every day, if they tried to talk to him, tried to help him see that what he was doing was wrong….tell him God had a better plan for him….if he would just turn to God…if he would just stop doing all the bad things he was doing.  Did they give up?

Did they give up?  His own family?  Did they expect a miracle, were they hoping for a miracle?

Why does God allow someone to get “so far gone”.  Why did God allow Saul to become a killer, a murderer…someone who was succeeding in destroying God’s church.

Saul did have an encounter with God…Acts 9 .Saul became known as Paul…and in Galatians 1, Paul tells it from his experience.

• God chose him before he was born…Galatians 1:15
• It pleased God to reveal His Son to Paul…Galatians 1:16.  God’s timing is perfect.
• God allowed him to do everything he did because in the end, people would praise God because of Paul…Galatians 1:24

We try so hard to change people in our own strength and our own timing, and when that’s the case, the focus is not on what God is doing in His strength, but on me…look at what I’m doing to change this person.  I believe the best thing for us as family or friends is to seek God on their behalf and be open to hear what God is telling us to do. Because in the end we want God to get all the praise and glory for what He did to change the person.

People didn’t expect a miracle, or believe Saul was a changed person…how funny and how sad at the same time…Acts 9:26:

26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!

Are you expecting God can do something in this person’s life?  Or will you be in disbelief?

As family or a friend…it hurts to see someone stray away from God and seek happiness in other things.  I’m sure Saul’s family was hurt very much by what he was doing.  But we can’t see them as too far gone.  God doesn’t.  Pray your family member or friend will be transformed…Paul says:

Galatians 6:15b-“What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.”