Rejection Really Means Redirection
Romans 11:15-16 Amplified Bible (AMP)
15For if their rejection and exclusion from the benefits of salvation were [overruled] for the reconciliation of a world to God, what will their acceptance and admission mean? [It will be nothing short of] life from the dead! 16Now if the first handful of dough offered as the firstfruits [Abraham and the patriarchs] is consecrated (holy), so is the whole mass [the nation of Israel]; and if the root [Abraham] is consecrated (holy), so are the branches.
Yesterday after service, my husband and I began to review the messages on endurance which spun us into an impromptu business meeting. As we went over certain aspects of biznistry, my mind began to wander to all of the possibilities good and bad, negative and positive. But I found the negatives thoughts and possibilities trying to overcome the positives and cause me to doubt that some of what is on my plate could be accomplished. I thought back to Philippians 4:13, “ I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me,” and I thought back to a book I had just completed that talked about identifying our negative self-talk and immediately I fought to but down those thoughts and to think about different plans if one did not yield the result we wanted the first time out.
Last week, when I wrote Friday’s devotional, my brother emailed me and said “Bishop Jones would also say, rejection means redirection,” I emailed him back and said I liked that and how I knew that this was truth. A dear friend and sister called to talk through some things last night, I realized during the course of our conversation that rejection will often breed things in us that cause us problems down the line. It can cause us to fear failing, to give up our uniqueness, our God give talents, our ability to see clearly and even our ability to move on or forward. My brother’s email and this conversation with a friend caused me to think of how many times I had been rejected and I allowed that rejection to have dominion in my life. I thought of how many times I fell down and it seemed as if it took forever to get back up or gain enough confidence to move on. Instead of allowing rejection to be seen for what it really should have been which was motivation and redirection, I had allowed it to become the direction and the things that demotivated me, and caused me to give in or give up. I had allowed the will of God and the gift and talents that He had birthed into me, the person He had made me, to become second to the pain of a man saying no or pushing me away. The Bible encourages us in Psalms 56:11, 26 & 118:6 what can man do to us, especially when our confidence is in God and He is before and with us!
If we only understood how powerful our purpose is when it is the purpose and the predestined, foreknown destiny and will of God in and for our lives. We place so much confidence in man that when they say no, or they say they don’t like us, our ideas, or choose others, push us away and what we know in our heart is given of God we fall apart and allow the words of a created vessel to destroy us, distract us and discourage us. But if we really understood that we have no need to fear man, because if God is with us He is more than the world against us, and that setback is only a set up, and allow that rejection to become our motivation and redirection we would be able to stay strong, focused, and unmovable and ever abounding in the work of the Lord! Don’t allow rejection to cause you to become dejected, let it become the means by which you find another way or more persistence to stand and allow God to bring you into the place that He has ordained for you and the work that He has for you to do!
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