Wednesday, August 4, 2021
When It’s Time to Walk Away
“Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you” (Matthew 7:6 NLT).
When I was a brand-new Christian, I went out sharing my faith with a guy who was younger than me. We walked up to a really big biker who was all tatted up and wearing a vest with no shirt.
So when the guy who was with me started sharing the gospel with this biker, the biker looked at him and said, “Shut up, man! I’ll punch your face in!”
I said, “Okay, let’s go.”
But this guy was determined, and he kept preaching to the biker. Meanwhile, the biker was getting really irritated. Finally, he said to the biker, “Okay, we’ll leave, because we’re casting our pearls before pigs!”
We made it out of there alive. But I realized that some verses are in-house verses, like the one my fellow Christian boldly referred to that day: “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you” (Matthew 7:6 NLT).
This is the type of verse we quote to explain something to another believer; it’s not one we quote to the nonbeliever we’re speaking with. It may be relevant, but there’s a time and a place for everything.
Sometimes when you’re sharing with people, they’ll turn on you. And throwing “your pearls to pigs” means giving something valuable to someone who doesn’t care.
Pigs like to live in slop and filth. That’s how pigs roll. It’s where they’re comfortable. So if you give some pearls to a pig, the pig isn’t going to appreciate those pearls. Now, if you give that pig some fresh garbage, you’ll have one happy pig.
In the same way, there are some people who simply don’t want to hear the gospel. And there may come a moment when you need to just walk away.
Copyright © 2020 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org
and
Listen to Greg Laurie's daily broadcast on OnePlace.com.
Watch Greg Laurie's weekly television broadcast on LightSource.com.
In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of Marvel at the Moon by Levi Lusko
In this fantastic 90-day devotional, author and pastor Levi Lusko uses illuminating stories, biblical teaching, and eye-opening surprises about outer space to show kids that they’re never alone because God is always with them. A copy of this beautifully illustrated book will be mailed to you when you make a gift of support to Harvest Ministries this month.
