Have you ever noticed, if we maintain a sweet spirit when those with a sour spirit leave, God adds those with a better spirit to replace those with a bitter spirit. So,we are foolish to let their failure lead to our fall. When we focus on their faults it causes us to fail. We need to remember the words of 1 John 2:19, ” They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us….”. Think about it this way—If those with us are not of us they will be a hindrance rather than a help.
As a young pastor I had a problem with letting the Sunday School attendance determine whether I was happy or not. Back then we had a record board showing the number in attendance, the size of the offering, etc. If the numbers were up I was up. If they were down I was down. Life was like a yo-yo, up and down, depending on the numbers. Another problem I had was that of losing members. I always felt that I must have failed in some way and that I needed to do everything possible to get them back. It took a long time before I realized that some people are more of a blessing going than coming. I also learned that one of the quickest ways to discourage the church is to continually complain about those who have left. My attitude did more harm than their absence.
We tend to worry too much about the number in attendance. While we should rejoice when God adds to the church, we should not lose our joy just because disgruntled members leave. Although it hurts to see people become casualties it is better to see them leave than to have them stay and become a spiritual cancer to the church. Begging such people to stay only invites disaster. Indeed we should pray for their recovery and do what we can to restore them, but that doesn’t mean we should compromise to please those who are only interested in being pleased. Rather than focus on the faults of those who leave, we need to thank God for the faithfulness of those who remain. If we stay, “stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58) the Lord will add to the church those of His choosing and things will work out for the best. We ought to rejoice in the Lord regardless of what happens. No one can take your joy from you. It has to be surrendered. And that would be foolish. Your joy should never depend on what do or don’t do. Think about it!
