Rejected! But Only for a Season

Thursday, February 20, 2014 Posted by Unknown

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35)

We are told in Matthew 10:22, “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” I remember feeling that one particular time as a new believer. I was so excited about my newfound love for Christ and His word. My oldest brother (I have five) was going through some difficult times, so I naturally bombed him with scripture. In my zealousness, (I realized later) my brother came to hate my preaching perhaps more than the Savior I thought I was sharing.

We lived 12 hours apart, so when he told me in a letter, “I don’t want to hear any more of your gosh-darn opinions,” I thought of the verse in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”

Feeling rejected, I thought, “If I can’t talk about Jesus, there’s not much to say.” For the next year, our communication slowed almost to a stop. Yet, God didn’t let His word return void.

The next December, I received a card from my brother. He had drawn a simple manager scene with the word “Chirst—“ on the front. Opening it, Mas was written with the message “is the reason for the season” below it. Something I said sank in.

Romans 8:37 encourages us with: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”

Matthew chapter five states: “Blessed are those who are persecuted . . . for My sake,” then says we should rejoice “for great is your reward in heaven.” I like to think that reward is going to include our family and friends who have been smothered not so much by God’s word from us, but His love through us.

Keep telling others about the relationship you have with God for “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)