Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – July 25, 2018
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalms 118:22-23
“Jesus was rejected so I could be accepted”, deeply emotional words shared by my very good friend, as we debriefed over dinner after a day of solitude and prayer at our silent retreat. “When I was 12 years old, my dad abandoned me, my two brothers and my mom, after he had been rejected from a promotion to become CEO of his company.” He went on, “All these years I have been driven by the desire to not be rejected by anyone, so I live unable to be my true self. But today the Lord has shown me His love is sufficient. He allowed His son to be rejected. Since God experienced His son’s rejection, He knows mine, and by faith in Christ, I have 100% acceptance in Him”. We wept together celebrating God’s ongoing, lavish love and acceptance.
The son of God, Christ Jesus left the glorious community of the Trinity to be rejected and killed for the salvation of those who scorned Him. The Creator left His divine utopia of heaven to live among His creation, yet His own would have none of Him. With an added exclamation mark of “Crucify Him”, they turned their back on Him. Yet, love does not give up on its rejectors. Love goes to those He knows loathe Him and models for them what it means to love and accept. God’s love includes premeditated acceptance to bring salvation and healing to broken hearts.
“He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:10-12).
Have you been rejected? On a whim, a friend walked away from your relationship, instead of doing the hard work of relational repair. Channel your anger into forgiveness and ask the Lord to give you the courage to confront, have the difficult conversation and model love and acceptance. Don’t do to your friend what he or she has done to you. Or, maybe your idea was passed over at work after months of research and preparation. Disappointment is normal, but don’t stay there. Celebrate and embrace the ideas that were chosen, even though they may be inferior, and trust the Lord to open doors for you in His timing. Your acceptance will accelerate team effectiveness.
Most of all, recognize, receive and rejoice daily in your status of being “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians). Thank the Lord for the extent of His love that covers you with confidence and security in Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit for you to see your rejectors as He sees them, people with wounded hearts from their past rejection and abandonment, who need to experience the love and acceptance of their Savior Jesus. Model for others the generous gift of acceptance you have received from your heavenly Father. Stiff arms collapse into a warm embrace with God’s love.
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ has accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7).
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I celebrate my 100% acceptance in Christ, thank You for Your accessible and inexhaustible love, in Jesus’ name, amen.Application
Who needs my love and acceptance?Related Reading
Isaiah 56:7; Acts 15:8; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 2:5-10Post/Tweet today
Jesus was rejected so you could be accepted. #WisdomHunters #acceptanceWorship Resource
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