How many times have you wept over the choices and lifestyles of family members, trying to reason with them, bringing the Word of God to show them the way of salvation, confronting their sin only to be deeply rejected? Not only are we rejected by those we try to help, but they share their anger with others and those people take on the same attitudes of the one who remains in their sin, while no one speaks to you about the interchange that brought about the hatred.
While all the other family members are enjoying one another, no matter what the sin in their lives, they keep you at arms length because you wanted to bring a greater understanding about the purpose and meaning of life, that being Christ Jesus.
Gossip abounds, nearly all is based on half truths and lies. There seems to be no solution to the mess.
I suspect from my visits on facebook with those who love the Lord with all their heart, that many are encountering this rejection and gossip.
Let me encourage you, Christ said it would be this way. Our culture has been raised on "self esteem" any correction or instruction is considered mean and rude by those who desire to be elevated in the eyes of others more than they care about what God thinks.
We are living in a culture that is narcissistic, completely full of self. Most young people today have been taught how wonderful they are, how much they can accomplish and that if they believe in something, no matter what it is, then they are doing well. This thinking makes it impossible for them to see the evil that is within them, we know that until they are broken over sin they will not become born again. Satan has managed to remove any sense of shame in this generation, so much so, that they refuse the message of repentance that leads to salvation.
Much of the hatred is based on superficial non-sense and perceived wrongs rather than anything of substance. The devil has twisted the minds of many to see things in a perverted fashion, while working to keep us from having meaningful and productive discussion to clarify misunderstandings.
There can be no reconciliation with those who have rejected Christ and His principles.
1 John 1:6 "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"
Ephesians 5:11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
Those who don't love the Lord want to hang onto their prejudices against believers who are following hard after the Lord. They shrink from anything that may dispel their desired attitudes toward the believer. Refusing to listen to reason, refusing to find out the truth, they continue in their sin, making their companions those who will accept anything to remain friends.
Mark 13:13 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."
Luke 21:17 "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake."
1 Peter 4:12-19 "12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."
Much of the rejection comes in the form of favoritism toward those that accept sin while ignoring those who desire holiness.
Praise the Lord, you will be mocked, ignored, hated and rejected continually, knowing that they did the same things to Christ. Praise the Lord too, that we have one another, though many of us have hundreds of miles between us we are still one in Christ and family.
1 John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."
Romans 12:10 "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;"
When we meet someone who loves to talk about the Lord, is transparent in their speech and who walks the walk as much as they talk the talk, then we can be sure we have met a brother or sister.
There are thousands of us out there, when we begin to feel alone, remember that fact.
We are never alone when we have Christ, and there are others around the world who are in the family of God, waiting for that day that we will be reunited with Christ and each other. His Spirit lives in us, one day we will see Him and each other face to face.
Revelation 22:1-7 "
1 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,
2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;
4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
6 And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place.
7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who [e]heeds the words of the prophecy of this book."
1 Corinthians 13:12 "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
Hallelujah, it is almost over now, one day everything will be fulfilled and we will be with our Lord.
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