If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.~Mathew 10:14
In Mathew 10 Jesus sends the disciples out to proclaim the message that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. They were to drive out demons, raise the dead , cleanse lepers, and heal the sick. What they had freely received they were to give ( Mathew 10:7-8). Jesus knew that everybody would not receive them or want to hear the truth, but He sent them anyway. They were to handle rejection by shaking the dust off of their feet.
I imagine the rejection and even possible taunting has to sting, but they had a mission to proclaim the good news. It wasn’t their task to make others believe, but rather to present the opportunity of knowing Christ to others.
Christ has also sent us out. We are to proclaim the good news of redemption and restoration through the life, death and resurrection through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some will not want to hear it. They will try to silence you or minimize your relationship with Christ to mere religion, but it’s okay. They are not rejecting you, they are rejecting Christ.
I am so happy in the Lord. He is a good and loving God. Faithful and true and I know this for myself. Jesus turned my life around. I know He is the answer and I want everyone to know Him like I do, especially my loved ones. However, things don’t always turn out like I want them too. Sometimes rejection is inevitable. I felt that rejection recently and it took a lot not to recoil from the pain of it all.
It is difficult to watch and hear others deny the truth of who God is. It’s breaks my heart to witness the rejection and denial of the only One who can save and heal the broken places. I desperately want them to know and receive the love of the Father. They want no part of it. They don’t want to hear me talk about God. So what do I do?
I stand firm on my faith, continue to love them, and turn it all over to God. I shake the dust off my feet. I don’t yield to the temptation to let my emotions dictate my response or diminish my faith. I love harder, but I refuse to leave God out my conversation. I can’t separate myself from Him, not even for those I love. I watch and I pray that their eyes will be opened to the truth. I take up my cross and continue to follow Him and go where He sends me. I ask Him for help and walk in peace.
Father, please soften the hearts and minds of those who are lost. May they come to You before it is too late. Lord, please pierce their hearts so that they will come to realize just how much You care for them. Give me the wisdom needed to minister to the unsaved and a heart of love. Save them Lord and keep me close to You. In Jesus name. Amen
Amen.
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