The worst kind of rejection may be the rejection of a friend. You expect it from an enemy, but not from a friend. It doesn’t make sense that someone you communed with around Christ would come back and crush you with rejection. Rejection integrated with religious pretense is rough. It challenges our trust in people in general, and our faith in God in particular. With an open foe you can see it coming. But with a pretend friend it takes you by surprise. You feel ambushed by unauthentic living. One day you are laughing together around life’s little peculiarities, and the next day you are dazed by the anger of an unstable man. It is haunting and humbling at the same time. You don’t know whether to lash back, or to languish in disillusionment. Friendly betrayal is frightening.

Reproaches from those we have been intimate with cut to the quick. They know our strengths and our weaknesses. They know where we are vulnerable. They know how to exploit our struggles and take advantage of our good will. It is as if you have been emotionally naked with someone, and now you feel embarrassed because of his or her indiscretions. What happened to the person you once knew? How could you have been so deceived? It may have been a decade of deceit embedded in your marriage vows. It may have been financial fraud and embezzlement over a long period of time. It may be a hidden addiction that has all the while hijacked your relationship for their credibility.

Our Lord Jesus, of course, had one for whom he trusted to the point of managing the money. He was close to Christ in proximity, but far away in faith. For Judas, it was all about the cash. Money motivated him in the beginning, and money was his downfall in the end. Money-motivated men may be pleasant on the outside, but they are full of themselves on the inside. They set you up for their own selfish purposes. We see it so clearly after the fact. But in the beginning, we can be easily deceived. Therefore, really get to know someone before you heavily invest. In time, they can be trusted.

Avoid the temptation to reject those who have rejected you. This is our natural response. However, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, our right response is to forgive their failings, regardless of how radical their behavior. We are all candidates for sin, even gross sin. Without God’s grace and the accountability of a committed community of believers, we are deceivers with the best of them. The worst deceivers have been the most deceived. Paul stated well our role toward those trapped in sin: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1). Yes, rejection by a trusted friend is fiendish and false-hearted. However, we are called to be forgiving and pure-hearted. Do not stoop to their standards that are sub par to your Savior’s. By God’s grace, rise above rejection.

Taken from reading #41 in the new upcoming (release date September) 90-day devotional, Seeking God in the Psalms.

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It is a temptation for followers of Jesus Christ to drift into naïve living. There can be disengagement with life that becomes irresponsible, but Jesus said, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:15). It is engagement in the world that gives Christians relational equity with unbelievers. Indeed, we are called to trust others, but to simultaneously verify their words and actions.

Parents do this with their children, when they confirm that their homework assignments are complete. Adolescents have to be reminded to take their backpacks to their bedrooms, and warned not to snack before dinner. Loving moms and dads keep an eye out for their child (sometimes in the back of their heads it seems), as they have one trusting eye of encouragement, and one somewhat skeptical eye of accountability.

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching” (Proverbs 1:8).

The same can be said about your work. If you think everything is ok all the time, you will one day abruptly discover it is not. Wise managers, leaders and associates hunt down bad news and cage it with critical collaboration and solutions. They seek to understand its source and not repeat the same mistake twice. Negative trends can be your friend if they are diagnosed early and dealt with thoroughly. There is a practical paranoia when filtered through prayer that is productive, necessary and responsible.

Furthermore, reward the candor of concerned team members. When they speak up and seem somewhat cynical, their passionate prognosis means they care. Be wise and daily discern the meaning of important data like sales reports and your child’s mid term report card. Prayerfully and thoughtfully interpret the information, make adjustments by faith, and then carry on in confidence knowing you have done your part.

Jesus commends shrewdness that is Spirit-led; so seek to apply the wisdom of God in your finances, family, business dealings and relationships. Prayer leads you into a proper perspective that is productive in the Lord’s work. You are a child of the light who no longer gropes in darkness, but is confident in the light. Be shrewd for your Savior’s sake.

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light” (Luke 16:8).What relationships in my life require more shrewdness and discernment from the Spirit?

Related Readings: 2 Samuel 13:3-4; 22:27; Proverbs 22:3; 1 Corinthians 2:14

Additional Resource: eBooks- Wisdom for Fathers (free in June), Wisdom For Mothers, Wisdom for Graduates, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God… click here: http://bit.ly/jHlNX0

Additional Resource: Hard copy of 365 day devotional: Seeking Daily the Heart of God and 90-day devotional Infusion… click here: http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

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Hugs Of Healing- “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).

Do not be afraid to hug at home, as hugs bring healing.  Sons and daughters need the secure embrace of their dad and the comforting caress of their mom. A child may be conflicted by a feeling of inadequacy or a fear of public embarrassment. It’s in this state of uncertainty that a kind hug communicates care and concern. Shed your stoic aloofness and convey a more emotional expression.

There is no need to conceal one’s need for affection, as these desires come from our divine design. God made you with a tender heart that needs the heart felt connection from another. Affectionate desires require a touch on the arm, holding hands, a kiss on the check, a pat on the back or a loving hug. Arms are meant to extend often– like the Lord does toward His needy children.

“My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him” (Psalms 89:21).

A heart full of compassion can’t help but hug. When you feel the need to physically communicate acceptance and love–you hug. Pure affection should not be a hugger’s way to get his or her needs met, rather it is an unselfish act to meet another’s need for comfort and love. Hugs are not meant to smother, but to breathe life into a loved one. Thus, hug often for someone else’s sake.

Hugs can communicate forgiveness, as it is an invitation into intimacy. You invite someone to enter into your present world and forget the misunderstandings of the past. Your silent hug of a hurting heart becomes heaven’s vessel for healing. Cold aloneness and fear are flushed out with a warm embrace. It’s tears of relief that flow from the eyes of a soul cradled in the arms of compassion.

“Then he [Joseph] threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them” (Genesis 45:14-15a).

People cannot hug themselves, but you can. An individual is not capable of a self-hug. Furthermore, use your unselfish hugs as an advertisement for Jesus. Explain how the compassion of Christ compels you to embrace with eternal energy. Be generous with your emotions, and experience it’s healing dividends.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him” (Psalm 103:13).

Who in my life needs a regular embrace of comfort and compassion? From whom do I need regular hugs?

Related Readings: John 12:38, Romans 16:16; 2 Peter 1:7; James 5:11

Additional Resource: eBooks- Wisdom for Fathers (free in June), Wisdom For Mothers, Wisdom for Graduates, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God… click here: http://bit.ly/jHlNX0

Additional Resource: Hard copy of 365 day devotional: Seeking Daily the Heart of God and 90-day devotional Infusion… click here: http://bit.ly/bQHNIE

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Unpretentious living is an invitation to down-to-earth interaction with others. Rest and relaxation attend to those who are truly themselves, without acting like someone they’re not. However, pretentious speech and behavior require extra energy to engage with their environment. Contentment is illusive and intimacy is an illusion. I become the most stressed when I feel I have to live up to something, or be someone I’m not.