DAY 12: REJECTED: The Chosen 40 Days with Jesus - (Luke 4:24-30) …
Good evening … Great is His faithfulness …
DAY 12: REJECTED:
24 Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 25 But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 26 but to none of them was Elijah sent except to [a]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with [b]wrath, 29 and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. 30 Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.
(Luke 4:24-30)
See also (v. 22)- We see a double response of MARVELING – (v. 22), and REJECTION – (v. 29) is a requiring and frequently in those who truly encounter Christ – (see also, Luke 11:14-16; and John 9:16) … The rejection of Christ in His OWN COUNTRY fulfills the rejection of the OT prophets such as ELIJAH – (v. 26) and ELISHA – (v. 27), and it is foreshadowing His rejection by the entire Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate – (John 19:14, 15) … Christ is accepting death according to the Father’s will, and not at the will of the Jews … As we can see here, the hour of His Passion has not yet come – (see, also John 8:20) …
Moving Forward:
1: Are you more likely to accept advice or godly counsel from a close friend or a mere acquaintance??? Why or why not??? This question is requiring some thought and I want to be sure when I deliver my next thoughts, they are not taken out of context … For me it depends on the person, and there are only a few in my life that take advice and godly counsel from … I have learned to judge righteously the way the Bible teaches us to, and I’m good at feeling out if an individual is capable of this type of interaction … When it comes to random strangers, I leave that up to our Father in heaven, and make no mistake I have full confidence He will deliver me to the right stranger just like the old lady who gave me a ride … Most importantly I strive to seek the advice and counsel of my heavenly Father, because He truly knows and understands me when no one else does …
2: What caused people to despise and reject Jesus? What was it that caused you to reject Him prior to your salvation??? This one as well is requiring some thought … For starters I never despised or rejected Jesus, is more of me not understanding who the real Jesus was at that time … I do not make excuses so I will keep this simple, and prior to my salvation I was different than any other sleeper, I was just living my life for myself … I never had a thought of not believing there was a Creator, but certain Christian groups it was drove me away … All I can say is I’m so relieved and redeemed knowing He chose me, and I’m so happy I accepted His call and did not make excuses …
3: When was the last time you changed your perspective or realized you were wrong about something significant??? – (Note: if it’s hard to remember, that might be something to work on …) – These two events are not hard for me because I have already worked out with the Father in heaven, so I feel honored, and His timing is beautiful to share these two events …
A: I’m anti- abortion – hear me out I do not support abortion one bit after my own review of the scriptures – abortion is ungodly and is violent act of murder depriving human life of existence, what gives a mother that ultimate authority, she is not God … My struggle wasn’t with abortion itself, but with how can a mother a person do such an awful thing … I struggled having compassion for these people I considered them to be monsters with no care in the world … God forgives all, and if He can forgive me, He can surely forgive these women, and after hearing a story of a mother who had an abortion, and she received an anonymous message saying Jesus has forgiven you, I broke down in tears and now have a new compassion for women who have abortions they need spiritual healing not hate …
B: The next one was me losing the parish council election at my Church … I felt rejected, because I know I work hard helping my church the best way I can by always volunteering when very little others do … After hours of prayer and the feelings of rejection the Lord revealed to me that the parish council is not my calling, He has others plans for me … I love sharing my struggles with you all, true leaders are honest and open and aren’t afraid to admit their mistakes not only to God, but to the whole world as well …
Prayer Focus:
Ask God to give you the humility necessary to hear truth when it’s spoken, as well as the wisdom and clarity to know how to respond …
Psalm 26 (27): Part of this evening’s prayer focus …
In Christ Jared W. Campbell