Rejection

What I Learned About Rejection Yesterday in Church.

This past weekend I went to my 30th High School Reunion in Charlotte. Fun stuff! I spent the night Saturday, and went to church with my friends Sunday morning, where I was blessed with being able to sit through the same sermon...twice! The sermon was on the Fear of Rejection, and we all know about that, and how we are taught not to fear man over God, so we can have much more confidence in witnessing. But I learned a couple of different things also, and was given more clarity in an area that I had not really focused on before. The area where all of us have rejected God. We have all gone astray. Our sinful natures are so rebellious there is not one person that deserves salvation. God owes us nothing. If everyone died and went to hell it would be absolutely just punishment for our sins. It seems nowadays we live in a world of entitlement.(that would include myself) For some reason we believe happiness and prosperity is our "right". We can see it everywhere, and that is what keeps people going, the pursuit of happiness. Going from one thing to another, or one person to another. It got me to thinking about how good God truly is. For Him to come die on the Cross for people who would never, ever turn to Him without the Holy Spirit to soften and change their rebellious hearts. He alone is good. It made me realize how dependent I am on Him for everything. From the outside to the inside. Even changing my heart, for my heart "is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" Jer. 17:9 I mean if we can change our hearts and cry out to Him without the Holy Spirit, why do we need Him? We are Holy in and of ourselves, which is absolutely hilarious! The other thing I really saw was how we can reject someones behavior, but not them as a person. The Lord didn't reject people, they rejected Him. I saw where we are not to reject people either. We may not like some of their actions, or what they stand for, but the Lord could have plans to save them, and then what? We decide to like them because they are saved? The Lord saved us while we were sinners! We didn't get Holy and then the Lord save us! This has been very freeing for me, because growing up I was rejected as a person because of my behaviors, causing me to do the same to others. Now, I understand how disagreeing with an area of a persons life doesn't mean I have to reject the entire person! The Lord knows I have some pretty bad areas in my own life that need work on! I am hoping this will not only help me with those people around me, but also with those in the Pro Choice movement that are so blinded and lost. I definitely don't like what they are doing with the killing of babies, but I also know that tomorrow the Lord could open their eyes and save them. Giving them the very same mercy and grace He extended to me, who didn't deserve salvation at all, because I absolutely, one hundred percent, rebelled against Him. He alone is Good. Pam