About this episode
Back Into the Fold
Get every episode summarized
Each time Elements of Inspiration publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
Transcript ready
155 searchable segments. Every word is indexed and playable.
Full transcript
Elements of Inspiration — Back Into the Fold. Machine-transcribed; use the interactive transcript above to jump the player to any line.
Hey now, it's your brother brother Marcus with another edition of the Elements of Inspiration Brother Marcus show. Of course, I give you the best interviews on this side of the globe whether we're dealing with people of interest, you know celebrity guests or the Elements of Inspiration Brother Marcus quick, I pick a rapper as well today. We're going to get into something called back in the fold, back into the fold, all right. Now some of you wondering brother Marcus, why are you doing this particular one? Well, I want to say this. We can love people even when their choice is separate, you know, from us or they want to separate from us or they want to move from us or they want to do whatever they want to do. Everyone has a choice in this life, right? And we think about what is back into the fold really mean. We'll get into that. You'll be able to figure it out, of course. But this is the thing. When we have to make choices in life, life gives us this ability to make our own decisions and sometimes those decisions bring us closer to family, faith, community and purpose.
Other times they take us away. I want to give you the book of, you know, Joshua, chapter 24 verses 15. It says, choose you this day whom you will serve. Hmm, something to think about, right? You know, the importance of this is to remember that we cannot always make choices for others, even though we really want to do like we think about our children, right? We want to give them all the, you know, the tools of course, we want to help them as best as we possibly can. We want to even make the decisions and choices on what they should do because we have grown folks, season folks, we've been there. We've done that and we can encourage them. We can pray for them. We can show them the right path. But ultimately the decision belongs to them. Now, you know, love doesn't end when someone walks away. When someone, you know, you know, makes a choice that we don't agree with, it doesn't mean
that we have to stop loving them. Forgiveness doesn't always mean forgetting what happened. It means refusing to allow anger, disappointment and resentment to control our hearts and our minds. In the book of Colossians chapter 3 verses 13, it says, forgive as the Lord forgave you. So we always got to know that we have to forgive and there's nothing wrong with forgiving people, right? And some people might debate this next thought is the door can remain open. Some people feel like man, you made your choice, you made your decision, you know, the door is closed. I'm not going to leave the door open. No, we're going to close the door, right? That's what a lot of people think and believe because they've been hurt and because of choices that other people made that wasn't what they would have done. But some people leave family, you know, they leave a family or they leave an organization, a job, a community, you know, a church because of pride, hurt and misunderstandings and personal
decisions. We can leave the door open. We can leave the door open without, you know, chasing someone down or compromising what we believe is right. In the book of Luke chapter 15 verses 20, the father welcomed the returning son with compassion when we think about the prodigal son. Many of us we've heard that story, right? We've seen that story. Some of us are dealing with that story right now. What do we do when we tell our children or we allow them to make their choices and decisions in their lives because ultimately speaking, it's what? It's their lives, right? There is power in knowing that restoration is possible even when somebody is, you know, ready to come back or not ready to come back, you know, some people say, leave the door open just like the prodigal son's father, right? You know, we have to see things from a different perspective. We could still love, but what do we do?
We can't force someone to do right, right? We can only do what? Give advice. We can provide wisdom. We can pray for them and we can demonstrate love in those fashions, but you cannot force another person to make a decision that's either right or wrong or whatever the case is, right? In the book of Galatians chapter 6 verses 5, it says, for every man shall bear his what own burden. So we must respect that everyone is responsible for the choices that they make. Don't let someone else's choices change your character. And that's one of the things that we all have to deal with. I know I do, you know, I have children and friends and people that I know that folks make decisions and choices that I wouldn't, but I cannot allow that to change my character. When someone chooses a different path, don't allow their decisions to make you better, mad, hateful, you know, unforgiving. We know we cannot do that. We've got to continue to do what? Walk in integrity. You and me, we all got to walk in integrity.
Is it difficult sometimes for a lot of us it is. In the book of Romans chapter 12 verses 21, it says, be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. Sometimes the greatest testimony is not what you say to someone who has left, but it is what you continue to do to live after they leave. We've got to continue to stay focused and continue to move forward. Forgiveness makes room for healing. That's what it does, right? Family members and friends and church members and colleagues. You know, a lot of people are going to cause some sort of disappointing situations for us with us or even around us. Organizations may experience division, you know, communities may experience conflict, but forgiveness gives us an opportunity to heal even when reconciliation is not immediately possible. Forgive someone. Yeah, we all have to do that. It doesn't mean because you forgive them that you've been ignoring the boundaries of
accepting harmful behavior. Absolutely not. You know, it means releasing the burden of carrying hatred. I know some people are like, man, I can't stand that person. They did this to me. I get it. But Ephesians chapter 4 verses 32 says, be kind to one another, tend to heart it, forgiving one another. Now there's always hope for, you know, a powerful and positive return. Yeah, someone may be, you know, far away physically, emotionally, spiritually, mentally, but as long as there is life, there is an opportunity for change. And so we must never stop believing that people can grow, learn, repent and move forward to making better choices and decisions. In the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 517, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Sometimes people are, you know, they fold under pressure.
Sometimes, you know, people, they fold on their principles. Sometimes they lose their way. But God is still readily available to restore, which has been broken. Only God can do that. So listen, check this out. We may not agree with every choice that, you know, that people make. This is true. We may not even be able to, you know, walk every road with them. This is true. But love doesn't require us to abandon our convictions and forgiveness doesn't require us to forget our boundaries. Keep the door open. Even when your heart is free from hatred, we mustn't do that. And we must continue to do what is right, not because it is right because I personally believe that is a biblical spiritual mandate because sometimes the person who is wandering away, they need to know that there is still a place with grace, love and restoration.
It could all be found. You know, sometimes we open up the doors and give opportunity to people to get it together. But then there are times where we have to help them from a distance through prayer, through resources, and say, listen, I'm with you on the journey, but I have to create my own boundary to protect me because you hurt me before. It doesn't mean I can't forgive you, but I have to see things from a different lens. You can walk away from the fold. And that's what a lot of people do. They walk away from the nucleus, the family, you know, whatever it is, right? But you can never assume that you are beyond the reach of love. Forgiveness. That's what we need. God's grace, that is what we desire. And while we wait for others to find their way back to the fold, let's make sure that we never lose our own way. Let us make sure that we can continue to do what is right from a biblical perspective.
And today, that is the Brother Marcus element of inspiration, quicker pick a rubber. Stay close everybody. We got more on the way on the elements of inspiration.
More episodes
