Rejection
God's children may experience rejection by friends and family. It's in the Bible, Mark 6:4, NIV. "Jesus said to them, 'Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.'" Psalms 27:10, NIV says, "Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me."
If you are rejected for your faith, you are in good company. It's in the Bible, Matthew 5:11-12, NKJV. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
In spite of God's constant care and wonders, the Israelites rejected His leading. It's in the Bible, Numbers 14:11, NKJV. " Then the LORD said to Moses: “How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?"
Jesus himself expressed pain over rejection. It's in the Bible, Luke 13:34, NIV. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
Jesus was despised and rejected by men—He understands how it feels. It's in the Bible, Isaiah 53:3, NIV. "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering."
It's in the Bible, John 1:10-11, NKJV. "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him."
When people reject the work we do in God's will, they are not rejecting us, but rejecting God. It's in the Bible, Luke 10:16, NKJV. "He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
We reject God when we refuse His offer of salvation. It's in the Bible, Matthew 21:42, NIV. "Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the Scriptures: "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"
Anyone who rejects God's word is rejecting wisdom. It's in the Bible, Jeremiah 8:9, NKJV. "The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken. Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD; So what wisdom do they have?"
Though things do not always end up right, we can trust the Lord will hold us up. It's in the Bible, Psalm 37:23-24, NKJV. "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand"
Rejoice in the things that try and test you - for it builds character. It's in the Bible, Romans 5:3-4, NKJV. "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."
