“The stone which the builders
rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” -1Pet 2:7
(NKJV)
No one knew
rejection and heartache like Jesus. Think of it: the King of the universe was
betrayed and eventually killed by the very ones He created and loved. Even His
closest friends here on earth didn’t always understand Him, and I’m sure that
He felt very alone at times. Naturally, Jesus was always in constant
communication with God. He sought comfort, guidance, and safety within the
presence of His Father. Yet, He still had a job to do while He was alive, and
that was to die so that the world may be saved through Him (John 3:17). In
order for God’s perfect plan to be accomplished and to make it possible for
there to be a resurrection and victory- death must come first. The same is true
for our own lives. Many of us have experienced rejection in one form or
another- more than likely the failure of a relationship if we are single
parents. In order for us to live out a
“resurrection” of our lives and spirit and gain the victory that only comes
through Christ, we should first look at what He faced.
If we study
the crucifixion in the gospels, we find that Jesus was in fact rejected by many
people in a variety of ways. He was rejected by two friends- Judas and Peter
(Luke 22:21-23, 47-48, 54-62). He was rejected by one of the thieves next to
Him on the cross (Luke 23:39); and the world (Luke 23:27-38). He even seemed to have been rejected by God
(Mark 14:32-36, 15:33-34). How many
times in our own lives has someone we loved turned their back on us, albeit big
or small? Have others hurled comments and slander at you throughout the time of
distress- taunting you to change yourself or hurting you with words and
actions? Did God Himself seem to turn
His face away and remain blind to your pain and suffering? I assure you that the last part never has (nor
ever will) happen. Unfortunately, we
cannot control the actions of others, and although they may seem to be acting
ignorantly, we are called to endure and persevere in God’s love. Does that make the pain any easier when we
are in the middle of it? Perhaps, but as
the saying goes, “It may be Friday now, but
Sunday is coming!” Instead, we
should be sure to surround ourselves with those that love us and care for our
well being when we are in the fire (Jesus had multiple individuals who loved
Him at the crucifixion) and allow them to “carry our cross” with us as we go
along.
Now, as I
mentioned above- in order for there to be a resurrection, it must be preceded
by death. See, the story doesn’t end
with Jesus breathing His last breath and everyone going home in tears. No! Check out Luke 24:1-12 when the women went to
visit Jesus’ tomb- only to discover Him gone and an angel sitting there to give
them the good news! Jesus said He would
see them again, and that in order for the Scriptures to be fulfilled He must be
crucified. I am here today to pass this same
good news on to you. When everyone else
seems to have abandoned you and all seems lost, God is always able to bring new
life out of the ashes. In fact, a resurrected
life in Christ has the ability to bury the pain and shame of the past (1Cor
15:55, 57) permanently. Better yet, it
is often in times of the “new” life that Jesus speaks to us more clearly than
ever before and our hearts are more receptive to His voice. After He had appeared to the others on the
road to Emmaus in Luke 24, one of the disciples said to his companion, “Did not our heart burn within us while He
talked with us on the road and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke
24:32) I’ll tell you what, when Jesus
speaks to us, especially in the tough times, our hearts BURN with excitement!
So no matter
where you are in life right now- in the middle of a storm or standing on a
mountaintop; whether you have been hurt and rejected by a loved one or you are
sharing the Good News of redemption with someone else- know that if indeed you are
a follower of Jesus Christ that Sunday is already here and we have a King to
help us rise above!
“For whatever is born of God
overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our
faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the
Son of God?”
-1John
5:4-5 (NKJV)
No comments:
Post a Comment