"Feeling a Little Shamed"

"All that pass by the way spoil him: he is a reproach to his neighbors." (Psalms 89:41)
I remember something that was my first topic of debate when I first became a Christian, it was the topic of "casting your pearls before swine." We had a group of about four of us; there was a black guy, a Asian guy, and two white guys; and we spent most all of our spare time either in study of the Word, or sharing the Gospel Message to other inmates. I was considered the kind of leader, if we actually had one; mostly because, when it came to leading the others to share the Good News, I was usually the one to follow in a specific direction. My favorite place to witness was the area where the inmates worked out; there I would always try to find the guy who looked like he wanted to be the toughest guy there; the guy that tried to be the biggest, lift the most, or flexed his mussels the most. One day, as I had tried for about the third time to witness to this one black guy, who looked like he wanted to hit me, the black guy in our group used that Scripture on me, saying, "Don't cast your pearls before swine." For the next several days, that topic was a debate among the two of us, while the other two brothers stayed almost entirely neutral on the matter. His argument was not to persist trying to share something so sacred with someone who refused to listen; while my argument was that we are not to let rejection take away from the treasure we have within us. He wanted me to move on and leave that guy alone, but I wanted to keep on pressing into him, thinking that his persona gave away the fact that he was actually hurting inside. Who knows if any of it worked? But one thing for sure, I was not convinced that Jesus was talking about not sharing the Gospel with someone who didn't seem interested, or who might actually want to hurt you. In a way, I was almost hoping that he would have punched me; then I could have maybe broken through the next time I approached him with the Good News. Funny thing was, that guy who once looked like he was going to hit me, actually stood up for me when someone else didn't like what I had to say. That does not mean he was willing to listen; if anyone was going to hit me, he wanted to be the one to do it. Here is the thing: we only get this one chance to get things right; this one life that we live, it needs to somehow make some kind of difference for the Kingdom. The difference that we make is counted in souls! We don't need to know the number, because that's not our responsibility to count; as a matter of fact, I don't think we should even be in the business of trying to keep track; these are not trophies, these are souls that are won for Jesus! Whether we are those that plant seeds, those who water, or those that harvest, we are all on the same team to spread the Gospel Message. Besides all of that, Jesus was talking about judging others; who are we to judge whether or not someone is worthy enough to hear the Gospel. It comes down to the difference between sharing the Gospel or the mysteries of God; because one they can accept, while the other they will reject, almost every time. Keep it simple, and don't judge...
""Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend's eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, 'Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,' when you can't see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye. "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. Keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."" (Matthew 7:1-8) NLT