Rejection Is Not The End Of The Game ~

Rejection. 

It is one life's most difficult circumstances to deal with.  Whether it's being the kid who sits at a lunch table alone, or maybe the grown woman who feels as if she doesn't go along with the popular opinion she will find herself alone, abandoned.  It is not rare to love honestly and still have those you love, turn away. 

As Christians, we know that we are born in this world - but we're no longer of it.  In our efforts to avoid rejection, how are we to serve & respond to our calling with truth & with love?

What is the truth we know?

The truth we know is found in the person of Jesus, who seemed to always get called. He got called when someone needed to be healed, (Mark 5:21-43) when the dead needed to be raised, (John 11:38-44) when the hungry needed to be fed (Matthew 14:13-21) and when someone’s sin needed to be called out. (John 4) Most of the stories we read about Jesus involve Him stepping into a crisis and not a celebration. And many of the people Jesus was there for eventually turned away from Him, too.

Sometimes the whole “following Jesus” thing feels like it costs us being the “cool” friend. Sometimes peers, in any age group, don't think it’s so great that Jesus did all these things and wants to do them for us & them too.  That there is no better path than the one God sets out for us.  There is no more joy filled, love filled, awe inspiring, grace filled path - Giving us excitement & peace at the same time!

Even knowing all of this, it’s easy to still want to be the kind of friend who is admired, included and fun. 

Then I have to ask myself, what do I want more?

I want to be anointed more than I want to be admired.

I want to make an impact for the Kingdom more than I want to be included in earthly events.

I want my friends to experience freedom more than I want them to think I’m fun.

Can I tell you something else? Who you are is not found in what other people think of you; it’s found in the person of Jesus and who God has called you to be.

We are called to speak the truth in love, (Ephesians 4:15) who spur each other on (Hebrews 10:24) and encourage one another. (Hebrews 3:13) This doesn’t mean we let people walk all over us; it means we have grace and seek friendships where both people are putting effort into the relationship.

The friendships you long for are possible.

Being set apart sets us up to be the friends who help set each other free. 

The friends who point each other back to our identities in Christ.

The friends who fight for each other and who stay when things get hard. 

The friends who try to live like Jesus.

This is the kind of friend, I want to be. 

Disclaimer:  I have added in my own words along with those of another above.  I can not remember where I originally found the article I plagiarized from, apologies that I can't reference it!  

Again, I have done all of the heavy lifting for you if you want to do further research into the bible yourself!  Each passage referenced above is connected to a sermon, commentary or simply a parallels bible page!

Thank you for following along with me on my road toward eternity.  I pray that you will be blessed and more importantly, I pray that you will recognize the hand of the Almighty in your life.  There is no such thing as happenstance!

Wendy

TRUTH

God  is omniscient - He sees all, He knows all.  

We can not properly worship or pray with dishonesty.  

We can only reach Him through truth.  

Jesus is The TRUTH

 

~ we can only reach God through Jesus

Live in honesty my friends.  Satan crouches at the door..... 

when you fabricate & lie you are being devoured....

Blessings, Wendy

Heart Trouble

 Do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves.

Hebrews 12:5-6 NIV

The New Testament teaches us that we are not to “make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son” (Heb. 12:5-6, NIV). God, as our loving Father, confronts us with our sin and convicts us of it in order to get us to confess. Because He knows 

if we do not confess and correct it, our misery will envelop us 
and we will live life at a very low level 

in comparison with the life He created for us.

If you and I resist confessing our sin when God brings it to our attention through our own Bible reading or through a spouse or a child or a friend or Elders or just our own consciences, we harden our hearts. And a hardened heart is an impenetrable barrier in our relationship with God, in our enjoyment of His blessings, in our emotional and spiritual security, and in our eternal reward. A hardened heart is the core of a miserable life.

From Joy of my Heart,  Anne Graham Lotz

the above Hebrews link goes to a list of short commentaries on this 

specific passage found on Bible Hub

Here's hoping that you will find healing, wisdom and strength when you are corrected.  Bitter resentment & excuses may feel justified, but they are signs you are being led away in chains.  As Always, 

Be Blessed!   ~Wendy

What are you filled with?

 What are you filed with?  

When you get bumped, what spills out?

I heard this question asked on the radio recently and it really made me stop and think!  As Christians we strive to grow closer to God and thus bare continually better fruit; but we also realize that we are all broken and that despite our steps forward, some steps take us backward.

I know my first reaction at many "little" things used to be harsh anger.  That's what spilled out and so I look back and am certain that's what I was filled with.  This simple question has really helped me think about my walk with God and the progress I have (or haven't) made.  

Romans 15:13 says "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

What a great verse to meditate on...

So when life jostles you, what spills out?  My friends, no matter the difficulty, it benefits you to overflow with grace, kindness, love, joy & truth.  And it honors our gracious savior.