Answer: This is the same problem for many parents, and I am no exception. My son hadn’t believed in God for very long, but he didn’t pursue the truth all along and had always loved the world. He dreamed of earning a lot of money to make a fortune and shirked his duties. I was afraid he would lose his chance at salvation, so I often told him to read God’s word, pray, attend meetings, and perform his duties as best as he could. If I didn’t remind him enough, he didn’t care, but if I did it too much, he would get annoyed and say I was a nag. I felt extremely miserable for it and didn’t know what to do.
Thank God for His preparation! One day, a sister just came to my home and I raised my problem with her. The sister fellowshipped with me, “It’s very normal to worry that your son won’t attain salvation. As a mother, which of us don’t worry about whether our children believe in God? But we should be clear that God saves are the people who truly believe in God, pursue the truth and willingly expend themselves for the Lord. If people truly believe in God, but don’t understand the truth and God’s earnest intention to save mankind at the beginning, which causes them not to pursue the truth but cling to their lusts for worldly things, we just need to be patient and tolerant, and support them with love. If they are people who neither truly believe in God nor love the truth or they believe in God in name only just to gain blessings, then it will be useless no matter how much we help or pray for them, because they don’t pursue the truth and God doesn’t save this type of unbelievers. When our children believe in God but don’t pursue the truth, we have to help and support them out of love. This is absolutely necessary. We can’t blindly decide whether someone will attain salvation or will be eliminated by God. As long as we offer loving, support and help, about whether they can accept the truth, the facts will reveal themselves in time. When the time comes, and we see people clearly, we can treat them differently according to principles. About this question, let’s read some of God’s words. God says, “When man is weak, when they are dispirited, when they have nowhere to turn, God will use His words to comfort, advise and encourage them, so that man of small stature can gradually find their strength, rise up in positivity and become willing to cooperate with God. But when man disobeys God or resists Him, or they reveal their own corruption, God will show no mercy in chastening them and disciplining them. To man’s foolishness, ignorance, weakness and immaturity, however, God will show tolerance and patience.” “Each and every person who has accepted the conquering of words will have ample opportunity for salvation. God’s salvation of each one of these people shows them His utmost leniency, meaning that they are showed the utmost tolerance. So long as people turn back from the wrong path, so long as they can repent, then God will give them the opportunity to obtain His salvation. When people first rebel against God, God has no desire to put them to death, but instead does all He can to save them. If someone really has no room for salvation, then God will cast them aside.” God’s word shows us His will to save mankind. As being corrupted by Satan so deeply, we often fall into Satan’s temptation and live in the negativity and weakness for attaching to the world and money, but God has never sat idly by. He has been using His words to concern and comfort us with His great tolerance and patience; meanwhile, He is also waiting for us to turn back. As long as people can come back to God’s side, pray to God and read God’s words, they will get the enlightenment and guidance of God and understand God’s earnest intention of saving man. Then our numb heart will be aroused and gradually, we are willing to have the resolution to betray our flesh to accept God’s salvation. However, if God’s words come upon us again and again, we have understood God’s earnest intention to save mankind but still follow our fleshly preferences and extravagant desires to cling to the world and lust after the flesh, then such people are the ones who are beyond redemption. They don’t accept the truth, have no spirit, and don’t possess the conditions to be saved by God, so they can only be forsaken by God. If we can understand God’s will from His words, we’ll know how to treat different people in the right way.”
After hearing the sister’s fellowship, my heart felt light, and I felt like I got a path! Praise the Lord!