Luke 6:22Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
We are blessed when we are cast out for the sake of Jesus. While enduring our trials it may seem impossible to even conceive that there may be any good to become of them, but we must realize that it is really a BLESSING, as found in His Word. A lot of people, once they start a Christian walk, are cast out. When I really started living for God, I was basically cast out of my house, and I was seperated from my mother's company. And while at the time, I thought it was absolutely horrible, I also realize it has made me more mature. Trials make you stronger. We should count ourselves lucky to even be considered worthy to be persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ. And we must remember that we WILL be persecuted. John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. If your walking with God, someone is always gonna dislike you for it. The world hates us because we are in the world but not of it. We aren't like everyone else. Rejection is hard to deal with. Not being the most popular or having the most frieds can seem like a hugacious deal. We may feel like it would be easier to just "blend in". But we are called to be a seperate pecuilar people. And this means standing up and standing out. It may seem easier to do what everyone else is doing, but in the long run, we have made the easier choice when we choose to walk with God. While it may be hard to stay true to yourself, your beliefs, and God right now, it's not near as hard as having to deal with the consequences of worldly actions. The repercussions of many worldly "normal things" (like drinking,partying,doing drugs, having sexual relations, etc.) have serious or fatal consequences. And while people of the world have to deal with those consequences, we are to be rewarded in heaven because we were cast out and kept away from those things. In fact, it tells us to rejoice and leap for joy in that day. Now evertime you don't get invited to a party, this doesn't mean you are gonna jump up and start shouting. But it does mean you should keep in mind what Heavenly reward you are getting, and how your life is a greater witness because of you not wanting to participate in the activity.
We must keep in mind why others hold hostility towars us. Our lives often convict the lives of others. They aren't living right, so it kills them that we are. And to add to that, most people just don't like what they don't understand. But we must remember when we are cast out from others that John 15:18 says "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." So we should never feel discouraged because we are left out of something because we are Christians. We may not be accepted by everyone we go to school or work with. But why do we try to fit in with the crowds that don't want to accept God? A lot of the times when we are rejected by a group, it is by a group that probably wouldn't be a great influence on us anyway. We must always continue to witness, since we are the salt and light of the world. We must also continue to be nice to those who mistreat us. Luke 6:28 says Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. The only way to help change the situation is to be kind, sometimes just turn the other cheek, and pray about it. Although our social status seems like a big deal now (I mean it is highschool), in the big scheme of things, it is worthless. Because once those 4 years are up and gone, none of it will matter. Getting invited to the biggest party of you Senior Year will carry no value. Sitting with the popular kids at lunch your sophmore year won't help you land that job once you get out of college. It is not about fitting in, but about making an impact. And making that impact means accepting that some people just aren't gonna accept what we are doing. Stephen was stoned for sharing the Word. John the Baptist was beheaded. Jesus was Crucified. Praise God all we have to worry about is not getting to go to the mall next weekend with some kids from school. So don't worry about being rejected. In Daniel chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to the things of this world and were cast into a fiery furnace because of it. Can you say REJECTION? But, this was just another petty, worldly rejection. It goes on to say, that they were cast in to the furnace, but were not harmed. Not a seam from their garments was singed. And to add to that, there were four figures seen in the furnace. God had sent on of his angels to protect them. And when it was over Nebuchadnezzar (the king who had them thrown into the furnace) said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." He also decreed that anyone who said "anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." Just another example of how God knows where your at, and knows where your going. He has a plan for you, and to play it out all you have to do is keep a close walk with Him. If accomplishing this causes me to miss some parties, some trips, or some cool lunch spots, so be it. Because My God's love and acceptance means more to me than the acceptance of the world.
Tags: Jesus Acceptance Rejection Bible God Popularity
