Devotional: Week 4, Day 1/Responding to Rejection

Luke 10:10-16

What Do You Do When You Get Rejected?

Three Responses to Rejection:

1. Shake off the dust

Okay, not everyone is gonna be up for grabs on this whole Jesus business. If they reject you, shake it off and move on. Take Acts 13:49-51 for example: " So the message of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews incited the religious women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district. ⁵¹ But shaking the dust off their feet against them, they proceeded to Iconium."

They were obviously rejected.. and what did they do? They moved on.

2. Diagnose a hard heart. 

Luke 10:12-15

Okay, so we have three old cities, and three local cities. The old ones: Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon. They were just . . bad. Sinful and bad. Local: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. Jesus went to these local ones; he served there.

So, if these most wicked cities (old ones) had the chance to see what the local ones did, and they STILL won't repent, then they are much worse off. Or maybe this makes more sense: If you refuse to repent, then it'd be better off for, i.e., Hitler than for you. (not you specifically)

 

Two ways to Diagnose:

A. Absence of Repentance

B. Presence of Pride

(Revelations 2:4-5)

3. Embrace your role.

Our role is simply to tell it, not convince them- although the latter is a bonus. 

• Can you think of a time when someone rejected your efforts to love them and point them to Jesus? How did that make you feel?
• How did you handle being rejected? What would you do differently?
• Jesus said, "the one who hears you hears me." If we are spokespersons for Jesus, how does that influence the ways that we relate and the things that we say?

Truly, Lord, You are a God to be feared. You are a just Judge and we will all stand before You one day and give an account of our lives. Cleanse me for all the times when I have rejected You and have not heard You gladly. As I live my life on mission for You, I ask You to help me handle any rejections with graciousness. Help me be a loving and accurate representative of Jesus so that the ones who hear me hear You. Amen