Not Infinitely Patient…

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” — Matthew 7:6

Christians are told to be compassionate and longsuffering. The wicked have a need for God and we should persist in telling the gospel story, in the hope that it might take root in a wicked person's heart. And this is true – the apostle Paul displayed persistence in bringing his message to the stubborn Gentiles, as did Jesus to the people of his ministry.

But both Paul and Jesus showed that they had limits to how much time they would spend with extremely stubborn people. They both reached points in their ministries where they turned away from those who simply would not listen to God's calling. In the same way, today's verse teaches that there comes a time when we should take the pearls of the gospel and move on to the next opportunity. It is interesting that we are not told to be infinitely patient with unbelievers – to be sure, God will not be. Finding this balance is difficult, but it is part of learning to be a good steward of the gospel message.