Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
A good friend has put the word rejection on my mind. So much so that I was compelled to study some scriptures about it. I am now of the understanding that rejection is a sign the sons of God have manifested. They (we) have manifested without necessarily knowing it, or better yet, believing, that that’s who they (we) are. Not only are the creatures waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God so are we. We are the very ones we are waiting for! Say what now? You read it correctly. You are amongst the sons of God; you have manifested, my friend. Not yet convinced? Then read the above scriptures again heir of God.
We have received the adoption and there is no reason to think we shouldn’t expect the same treatment Jesus did. That’s part of being a joint-heir. How often was Jesus rejected? He was even rejected in his own town and did not perform miracles there as he was likely planning to. If you are one of those persons that like to read between the lines then you have correctly read that Jesus was rejected by those closest to him- family, loved ones, kinfolks. Yes, them. They rejected him. Not to mention he was later rejected by friends. Do the names Peter or Judas ring a bell? For whom the bell of rejection tolls there are many with ringing headaches!
In Mark 6:11 Jesus says “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them”. I think rather than us wallowing in rejection we need to depart and then shake the dust off our feet. People often ask what would Jesus do well there’s the answer regarding rejection in his own words! No need for a wristband with the letters WWJD. He said get to steppin’ and shake the dust from your feet while you’re at it!
Mark 9:12 says thus ( I couldn't resist) And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.
Nought means zero! You are set back to where you started. Nought is code word for rejection. In 2 Corinthians 4 Paul says “But though our outward man perishes, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. He also says in his letter to Timothy “be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God: who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace…” His purpose is not for you to be rejected but sometimes rejection comes along for the ride. You invite a passenger named Rejection if you’re driving in a lane you shouldn’t be. Drive in your lane and don’t pick up hitch hikers.
The Amplified version puts it this way: And He said to them, Elijah, it is true, does come first to restore all things and set them to rights. And how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be utterly despised and be treated with contempt and rejected? Surely we have manifested!
Another take on rejection and it relates to loved ones is sometimes we connect with the wrong people. It is an inevitable fact of life. In our desire to be like or even loved we accept treatment of any sort even when it is detrimental to our personal well-being. For example, we may think we are with the man of our dreams- we are, right? But is the man of your dreams the same man God has dreamed for you? Remember, God thoughts are higher than our own. Are we sticking with that man of our dreams determined to make the relationship work regardless? What if that man of our dreams rejects us? What if it’s not the man of our dreams but a family member, friend, or business associate? Is it not possible God caused or allowed that rejection because He did not want you to keep making the best of a relationship He did not approve of in the first place? After all He did harden Pharaoh’s heart before the Jews were delivered from Egypt. Moses was rejected many times before he got what he wanted. God kept hardening Pharaoh's heart to prove a point but what point does God need to prove with you? The Jews left Egypt with the Egyptians' wealth. We leave bad relationships not only empty handed but often broken and defeated. Not married people, though, they get half! But seriously...
Maybe you were ignoring all the signs that man of your dreams, friend or whatever, was not right for you and the one God has for you is waiting. That friend or business associate to help you fulfill your purpose is waiting and nothing less than rejection would have put you on the path that God intended for you. So get rejected, depart and shake the dust from your feet as your testimony against them- no need to drag the person you weren't supposed to be around in the first place through the mud. Your testimony against them is shaking the dust from your feet just like Jesus said.
Come to think of it I’ve got a lot of dust to shake from my feet! If I took inventory of all that have rejected me in one way or another I wish I could honestly say that I was rejected by the best. I wasn’t. Oh, boy I wasn't! What I can say is that they were people that either God did not intend to be put in my life in the first place or for only a limited amount of time and because of “feelings” like love or loyalty that time was extended beyond God’s plan. There. That sounds politically correct, right? Rejection, sometimes, is just a slap in the face. It is a brutal but necessary wake-up call when you’re driving in the wrong lane.
Here’s a thought, if by the Holy Spirit we are to discern spirits, then I would think as believers we should experience less relationship rejection. We should discern the spirit of whom we are dealing with in the beginning and walk away immediately if that person’s spirit is not right. Granted some are tricky and try to hide but if we are light then they can’t hide in the darkness for very long. At any rate as soon as their spirit reveals itself, and it will, if it’s not right it’s time to go. There is no sense in building a relationship with someone whose spirit is not right. It is not our place to ‘help’ someone be who we think they should or could be. What they could be is someone whose sole purpose is to keep you driving in the wrong lane and away from the purpose God has for you. Leave that person for the Holy Spirit to work on. Take that burden off your back. Get rid of that pain in the aff! Affliction, remember? I think we like projects and fixing people who have not asked to be fixed a little too much. By” we” I mean me. I have been guilty of this on many occasions. The last time is the last occasion; I learned well a hard lesson about thinking I could fix someone. I am being fixed my doggone self! So, yes, God rejected that ego right out of me.
Even though rejection hurts, sometimes to the very core, Lord I thank you for it because it is a means to beat out the fitches with a staff and the cumin with a rod. If we are unable, as wheat, to separate ourselves from the chaff God as the Sower and Thresher will most certainly do it for us in an effort to restore us to the purpose he has intended for us.
I thank You, Father God, for leading us and teaching us even though we don’t realize that it’s You teaching and correcting us. Correction oftentimes feels like punishment but it is for our good. As Job said ‘happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty.” We repent for despising you Father God. We repent and thank you for loving us and caring for us enough to teach us and correct us when necessary. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Suggested reading: Exodus 9:34, Mark 6:11, 9:12; Romans 8,
Job 5,
