Dear Ones,
Hope you have a God-pleasing day! We had a good soup supper and Lenten service last night. Today I plan to do food prep and bake cookies, work on cards and go to Bible study.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
None of us like to be rejected and it is painful when it happens to us. Jesus certainly knew what it was like to be rejected and also, we think of Joseph and the many prophets who knew this firsthand. The pain of rejection may at times feel even worse than physical pain, especially if it was someone close to us who showed disapproval of us.
The enemy knows just how to use rejection from others to try to get us to be people-pleasers rather than God-pleasers. Most people in big ministries have gone through rejection from family and friends, and had to resist their rejection to do what God had planned for them.
I was reading from Luke 12 when Jesus was trying to get across to His disciples that they shouldn’t get contaminated by the threats of the Pharisees. From the Message translation Jesus says, “True, they can kill you, but then what can they do? There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in His hands.” Jesus goes on to use the example of how the birds of the air are not overlooked by God and yet He pays greater attention to us, even as much as knowing the numbering of the hairs of our head! So we are not to be intimidated by others, but stand up for what is true and right.

We are to be done with people-pleasing if we want to be God-pleasers. We need to stand strong in who we are in the Lord and not give undo attention to how we dress or how we come across to others. Jesus accepts us just as we are and when others reject us, we are to pray for them and not go into a tailspin. We pay a big price if we want to be popular with everyone rather than a God-pleaser.

Challenge for today: When you feel the pain of rejection, thank the Lord that He accepts you as you are and don’t miss out on what He has for you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy