I Want To Be Accepted

I tried to play it cool but inside I was mortified.

Luke 9:51-56

Reference: When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (‭Luke‬ ‭9‬:‭54‬ NIV)

Explore: I found a few years of high school were really tough. It wasn’t that I was bullied, I was just ignored.

When others don’t consider you, you feel rejected and worthless. I tried to play it cool but inside I was mortified.

While I stayed true to my faith and consistent in my dedication to God, those who chose more worldly ways were the ones that were accepted. It just didn’t seem right, and I repeatedly whinged to God about it!

Application: When Jesus was rejected from a whole community He could have whinged to God about it. In fact, His disciples wanted Him to get God to smite the whole district.

But Jesus rebuked them.

The Bible doesn’t record exactly what was said, it just states, He “rebuked them”. The disciples didn’t reply so clearly Jesus’ words were enough for them to see His perspective.

I guess when you look at it, who is really missing out here? Sure, they may have had to travel a little further and their plans were changed. But what of the Samaritans?

They did not get to hear Christ’s life giving message, they didn’t experience His healing and they didn’t get an understanding of God’s grace through Him. They may have rejected Jesus, but in the end they are the ones who missed out.

We may get rejected due to our faith or a particular stance we take, but let’s look with an eternal perspective at what God has in store for us.

Prayer: Lord, it’s hard not to want what this world has to offer. May we constantly be reminded of the more important prize You have in store for us. Amen

When have you experienced rejection?

acceptance, faith, Jesus, Luke, rejection