Category: Inspiration

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.

In the Struggle

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

The apostle Paul wrote, “I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble … And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:10-14, 19).

In v. 11, Paul uses the word “content.” The Greek word that Paul uses appears only once in the canon of the New Testament (TR Greek text). It means “in no need of support, independent of external circumstance, content with one’s life, and means.”

Why, or more precisely, how is Paul content in his current circumstance? I can assure you, it is not good.

In Numbers 16, we read of a man who was not content with his circumstance: Korach. He leads a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, with 250 men of renown.

Korach, like all the children of Israel, ate manna, drank water from the rock, his clothes did not wear out, and his shoes were always in perfect order. Further, he was a member of the elite of Israel, the Levites, charged with transporting the Ark of the Covenant as Israel moved, having more direct contact with it than Aaron. Still, this was not enough.

How do we fight discontentment, and keep from becoming a Korach in life?

Paul gives us the answer is in Philippians 4:13, “I have strength to do all, through Messiah who strengthens me.”

Paul knew what it was to be humbled, to be exalted, to be filled, to be empty, to have all he needed, and to be in need. If we are not careful, however, we miss one important point, as Paul writes, “In any and every situation I have learned…”

Contentment was not Paul’s natural condition, it was not imparted to him as a gift of the Spirit, he learned it.

How?

We learn from the Word of God that to be content/satisfied rests on maturing in faith. Contentment is not something we seek, it is something we experience in faith, as we trust in the Living God (II Cor. 1:20).

Contentment, then, is a fruit matured in faith.

Paul reveals this to us in Philippians 4:13 when he acknowledges that it is Messiah who empowers him to do, and endure all things. It is Messiah through Whom all his need will be met, from Whom his strength comes, and in Whom he patiently endures.

Fixing our heart and mind on Yeshua/Jesus keeps us from the attachment to and fixation on things that lead to discontentment, and the rebellious condition of the malcontent, as witnessed in Korach.

Recall the words of Messiah, “But seek first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these shall be added to you (Matt. 6:33).”

Or as the author of Hebrews exhorts us, “Let your way of life be without the love of silver, and be satisfied with what you have (Heb. 13:5).”

Dear reader, you will always find someone to commiserate with your dissatisfaction, and even join in your assessment and assignment of blame. Yet, we often do not recognize how blessed we are, until what we have been blessed with is gone, or until something disrupts the normal condition of our lives. Find a voice to remind you of your blessing.

Paul in Philippians does not blame the jailers for his situation, or those offering him assistance. Paul knows that his situation is in the hands of the sovereign Lord. Still, we learn one more valuable lesson. Paul thanks the brethren for their faith, their concern, and the gift to him from their lack; and he is willing to receive it.

When we are faithing on the Lord, contentment, among other things, is a recognizable fruit producing brotherly concern and affection, and this is an antidote for the Korach disposition.

In the struggle, Messiah is: your strength, your provision, your endurance, your peace, and your salvation.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” (Ps. 46:1)a psalm by the sons of Korach.

Be well. Shalom.

Abraham Believed…

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

“And he (Abraham) believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).

  וְהֶאֱמִן, בַּיהוָה; וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ, צְדָקָה

“And he believed,” in what? The word that God had spoken, “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be” (Gen. 15:4-5).

This childless seventy-five(+\-) year old man would have a child with his wife Sarah. If I were writing this story, Isaac would have been born immediately; but God did not plan it that way. Abraham would have to wait years, make mistakes, and live beyond all hope of natural conception. It would have to be supernatural.

Abraham waited, 25 years (+/-). Not many of those 9,125 days were eventful. Perhaps the overwhelming majority of those days were, well, normal: wake up, work, see people, back to bed, and repeat.

Yet, because he waited, endured, stumbled, repented, was tried and refined by God, and obeyed, the promised son was born. This son, in whom the promised rested, would, in the fullness of time, bring forth the Son in whom the promise would be fulfilled, Yeshua/Jesus.

A man, Abraham, would build a family, a family would build a community, and the community would build a people: “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

The covenant people of God.

You, dear reader, are in the universe of stars that God promised to Abraham (Rev. 7:9); and as I’ve oft said, one day you and I will see God show Abraham, His friend, the fullness of His promise when He points, from upon the Throne, to the countless crowd, where you and I will be.

Days may seem to be unchanging, indistinguishable from those that came before, but in Him even the repetition has meaning.

When the Torah says that Abraham believed, it means that he hung his hope on God’s Word, His promise. He tried to help God fulfill His word, and in the Lord’s mercy those missteps did not disqualify Abraham from receiving what was promised.

Dear reader, God is faithful to His Word. As Paul tells us, every promise of God is wrapped up in His Son (II Cor. 1:20), the One who ushered in the Spirit of adoption bringing near a redeemed people to the Father, Who promised the unthinkable to a childless man: a sky full of children.

Is what you are believing for any more impossible?

Be faithful, put your heart and mind into action according to God’s Word. Live, and in the fullness of time, our faith will be made sight, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Days will seem normal, perhaps even boring, but God works within the frame of our lives in supernatural ways.

Hold on. You are part of His legacy of faithfulness, past, present and future, “And if you are Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise” (Gal. 3:29).

Be well. Shalom.