Have you ever been rejected?
It hurts, doesn't it? When someone you wanted to be a friend to or wanted to be a teammate for or wanted to help, get to know, or be close to in some way rejects you, it is one of the worst feelings in the world. It's happened to me. I think it happens to every human once they're at least 13 years old.
Guess what?
HE will NEVER reject you.
HE has CHOSEN you.
HE has SET YOU APART.
HE DIED FOR YOU. And ROSE AGAIN for you.
If Christians are 'doing their job right', they will be rejected. By some. Because we are not of the world, enamored with the world, and loving the people of and stuff in this world...
or at least we are not supposed to be.
1 John 2:15: Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. (iPod, anyone? Using it more than your Bible? I've done it...)
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The Bible says we are "in, not of, the world" (couldn't find the reference this morning) - which means we are living here for the present, like strangers in a foreign land...
But this is not home.
Until we finally cross over to the other shore, leaving this world behind in an action called 'death', we will never truly be alive. We will not be home until we are with Him.
Of course, this doesn't really sound very comforting if you're still reeling from the sudden, unexplained, icy coldness in the behavior of a friend, or the sting of being picked last for the volleyball team.
It all boils down to what we're holding as important. If it matters more to us what our Creator and Father and Savior thinks about us than Susie and Johnny and Mary's opinions, we will be content. We'll be wearing spiritual 'raincoats', and the acid drip-drops of disapproval and rejection will slide right off, harmless as bathwater.
It's hard. It's difficult to make that choice to value what is unseen over the things that are easily seen and felt.
Jesus came back to life, and some people had a difficult time believing in it... like this guy named Thomas. He had to actually reach out and touch Jesus's nail-pierced wrists before he really believed. Jesus told him...
Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed
are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29)
We are blessed when we choose to believe even though we 'have not seen' him in the flesh.
He has chosen us to be his children, if we will just reach out and cling to him. Once we accept that promise that is waiting there for us, we belong to him, and the price has been paid for our sins. We are set apart, and it is a thing to be joyful about!
So bask in the glory of that today. You are HIS child. You have been Set Apart.
You are loved.
Blessings!
Julia
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8 comments:
this is such an encouraging post; thankyou. and those last lines will stick with me, i know it. so thankyou.
Emii, I am so glad you were encouraged by my post.
God's blessings on you!
Wow, what a blessing. Thank you Julia.
Julia,
Those first lines literally reached out and grabbed me by the throat. Powerful. Encouraging. Needed. *Thank you.*
HE will NEVER reject you.
HE has CHOSEN you.
HE has SET YOU APART.
HE DIED FOR YOU. And ROSE AGAIN for you.
So bask in the glory of that today. You are HIS child. You have been Set Apart.
You are loved.
THANK YOU, for sharing this with us, Julia! What an encouragement, and a blessing to read! :)
Have a wonderful day!
In His Arms, Karissa││Romans 12
Sarah, so glad you were blessed! :)
Rachelle, you are *very* welcome! :D I'm trying to work on my post beginnings, happy to see that it's working! :D
Karissa Noelle, thank you, your comment blessed me in return. :)
Beautifully put, Julia! Thank you, oh so much, for posting this. It is so encouraging and uplifting and convicting. 'Tis glorious truth that He has chosen us and never will reject us. It sometimes is not so glorious in the midst of the trials and rejection of men. Thanks for pointing us in the right direction-Christ.
Thank you, Melinda! You're very welcome. :D
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