Month: November 2022

Weary? Don’t Uproot Yet.

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

The longer you live, the more you recognize that there are seasons to life, some that we pray will pass, and others that we hope will never end.

The Book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 speaks seasons, “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

The Lord is encouraging us, yes, encouraging us, by telling us in advance that there are, have been and will be seasons in life; and in those seasons there is work to be done in faith that will bring a harvest.

The apostle Paul writes, “Do not be deceived – God will not be mocked. For whatever a man sows, that he also will reap. For the one who sows to the flesh will reap corruption from the flesh. But the one who sows in the Spirit will reap from the Spirit eternal life. So let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not give up. Therefore, whenever we have an opportunity, let us do good towards all – especially those who belong to the household of faith” (Gal. 6:7-10).

It is often difficult to keep going when it seems that we are laboring in vain. Revealed within an agrarian society, the Word of God uses references that are not always immediately relatable to us today, certainly relatable at the time, but today we must give them a little more thought: sowing, tending, reaping, tearing up, etc.

When I used to garden, as anyone who had done will tell you, even a small garden is a tremendous amount of work; and after sowing, watering, and waiting, it can be discouraging to see nothing growing or coming to fruit.

I recall on one occasion, sowing two large beds of carrots. After having prepared the soil, and waiting weeks with no results, I was discouraged to say the least, as waiting for them to sprout caused me to miss the window to try to sneak in another planting.

I then decided it was time to turn the soil over, and plant something else. However, when I went out to do so, I noticed, in each of the rows were seed had been sown, the carrots had sprouted. That year we had an amazing harvest because, in due time, when the Lord intended, the seeds sprouted.

Paul directs us to not “grow weary.” The Greek for weary here is ἐκκακέω/ekkakeō, which is to be faint, or another way to be spiritless, or out of breath. Paul is perhaps thinking back to Exodus 6:9 when the children of Israel would not listen to Moses, “because of the shortness of spirit/breath/impatient (מִקֹּצֶר רוּחַ), from bondage.” They were weak, broken, and weary in spirit, they were weary of life, and a little impatient. Yet, we have been set free, so the remedy for this is not to be empty or “spiritless,” but rather, “Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

Everything that we do, is to be done, as Paul says, as “unto the Lord” (I Cor. 10:31). Therefore, if done “unto the Lord,” nothing that we do is ever wasted in His eyes. Perhaps one area we have invested in does not yield fruit, but He will bring forth other fruit in areas that we had not expected.

Sow to the Spirit, Paul writes, and reap everlasting life. It takes time, and patience, but the reward for faithfulness unto the Lord, never goes unnoticed or unanswered. Dear reader, keep fighting the good fight of faith, allow Him to mature you in patience, and in time the season of harvest will be at hand.

Be well. Shalom.

He is Greater … Than Your Rejection

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

Many of us, at some point in life, have experienced rejection – whether by a family member, friend, social group, or institution. Rejection is powerful; and the effects of rejection can last the entirety of, and adversely affect the quality of, one’s life.

According to Dr. Guy Winch: Rejection piggybacks on physical pain pathways in the brain; and because of this Tylenol can reduce the emotional pain rejection causes – studies have demonstrated that years after an experience of great physical pain, we are not able to readily recall the pain itself; yet, recalling rejection will bring back not only the emotional pain, but also the physiological symptoms as well.

Rejection creates the feeling that we do not belong, stimulating anger and aggression. Rejection can destroy our self-esteem; it temporarily lowers our IQ, impairing our ability to respond to reason. Most often we turn the experience of rejection in on ourselves, rather than turning our attention to the Lord in those moments.

Ishmael and Hagar

In Genesis 21:1-21, in the course of a day, Ishmael the son of Abraham, is rejected by Sarah, Abraham, and briefly Hagar. In that short span of time, Ishmael is left utterly alone.

Yet, from Heaven the Lord hears Ishmael’s cries, sending his messenger to assure Hagar about Ishmael. In her aguish, she is willing to let her son die, yet heaven intervenes.

The angel says: כִּי-שָׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶל-קוֹל הַנַּעַר בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא-שָׁם, “For the Lord has heard the voice of the boy where he is, in his situation.”

Hearing this, Hagar’s eyes are opened, she sees a well, and Ishmael matures with the Lord’s promised blessing. The Lord saw, and tended to their plight: healing their rejection.

Rejection of any sort can be devastating; but personal rejection by a friend or family member hurts more than rejection by an enemy or an impersonal institution. This rejection is often sudden, unexpected, and leaves one feeling isolated from the social group around us. It may be said, the deeper the relationship, the deeper the pain.

Still, the Lord does not want us to turn rejection in on ourselves; but rather, recognize that He knows our situation and is moving us to the next place of blessing – the well – in our lives.

What does the Word of God say about rejection?

Psalm 27:10, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.”

Luke 10:16, “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

I Peter 5:7, “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Psalm 94:14, “For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.”

John 15:18, “If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you.”

I John 3:1, “See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God’s children – and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God.”

We find in this excruciatingly painful text (Gen. 21:1-21) that Ishmael had to be rejected in order to reach the place where the Lord wanted to bless him. We learn from this, that an experience of rejection is a time of redirection by the Lord, if we receive it in faith, as Paul says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Ro. 8:28-29).

All things, including rejection; why, because Messiah Yeshua bore our rejection on the Cross. As Isaiah 53:3 says, “He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”

He was rejected by His friends, He was rejected by His hometown, He was rejected by strangers, and He bore the full weight of our rejection and cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me.” His rejection on the Cross, ultimately led to the blessing of many.

Rejection, no matter how painful, will always lead to blessing when we remember that He sees us in our situation; and in that situation He will send the comforters, He will send exactly what we need: that feeling of love and support that is so needed.

Your experience of rejection, no matter how painful, will be a source of blessing for you and others, if you allow the Lord to direct your steps in the healing process.

Dr. Art Lindsey writes, “Fear creates what is feared. The more we fear doing poorly on a test, the more likely we will freeze and do poorly. The more you fear rejection, the more unnaturally you will act, raising the likelihood of being rejected. But the more you love someone without concern for your own appearance, the more likely you will be accepted. Fear faces inward. It focuses on what will happen to you if you fail the test. Love faces outward. It focuses on caring for the other person more than you care for yourself. The more you look outward, the less you look inward. The more you love, the less you fear.”

As we know, perfect love casts out all fear, and that perfect love has come to us by Messiah Yeshua. So live without fear of rejection. Love with a godly love, without concern for appearance.

And always remember, that your God is greater than the rejection you experienced, and that He has rescued you from it, healed you from it, and will direct you away from it. He brought you to the well of salvation: Yeshua/Jesus.

Be well. Shalom.