Bless the Lord!
Many times we talk to people about God, unsaved people, other Christians, those who have developed or are developing a real relationship with Christ, and for whatever reason the Word goes over their heads. They really don’t want to hear you, they don’t want to change, or stop whatever it is that they are doing, and in some form or another, they are telling you to talk to the hand. Jesus said if you enter into a town and they don’t receive you, shake the dust off your feet and keep on stepping. Move on. And we do, until the next time it happens, and the cycle is repeated. And then you find yourself at the point feeling sorry for yourself, saying, what is it? Why aren’t they listening to me? Why are they rejecting me?
I often ask myself and I have been most recently, which is probably why I am sharing this… but I ask why I just can’t shake the dust off, why do I keep coming back trying to share? What am I doing wrong, Lord? And God made me realize that sometimes our hearts just ache for people. We are aware of the lives that they are living, (especially those who don’t know Jesus), and they always seem to be so unhappy. And then there are some, Christians even, that always seem to be struggling with the same issues. Fear, commitment, faith, finances, and they don’t even realize they’re struggling, but you do. God allows you to see it. And your heart aches for them. And you pray for them and God gives you a Word to share, and you do, and it goes over their heads. I thought about Moses as many times as he went to Pharaoh with the Word that God told him to share and how many times he was rejected. And I know for me, it can get rather frustrating. To repeat the cycle, share the Word, be rejected, remember what the Scripture says and shaking the dust off, over and over and over again. And again you say why is this happening?
Sometimes it is disappointing when you constantly reach out to people in one way or another, and they continually reject whatever it is you are “selling.” Whatever you are trying to do for them, say to them, however you want to help them. You want to be a friend, you pray for them, you invite them places, and time and time again they tell you they have plans or something came up or they have to work, or they don’t know how or simply cannot do what you have asked of them. And for the most part, they don’t even try to cover it up. They just give you a flat out and what seems resounding “no.”
And your heart aches. Yearns, after once again repeating the cycle and getting the same result. And you want to give up; you want to shake the dust off. And you think maybe you should, but you don’t. You feel you have to continue to love them and show them the patience of God. Isn’t that what Jesus would do is what you tell yourself? But yet you share, they reject you and they continue to struggle with the same issues. You hear them continue to confess the same things, see them doing the same things, but yet refuse to make any changes. They allow the same things to “come up,” they give the same amount of money to church, they give the same amount of time to God they’ve always given, and even believe that they are doing God a favor in doing so, and nothing ever changes. But yet you continue on loving them. You keep inviting them here and there, to church, to lunch. You share the Word, you pray for them, give of yourself, and your time and energy and the cycle repeats itself and you find yourself hurting again. Because you didn’t shake the dust off. All you could think of is that they rejected you.
God reminded of a Word that Minister Jeff shared, “It’s Not For Everybody.” We have to realize that this Christian walk is not for everybody. Some of us just don’t want to give up the “lives” we have. Some of us don’t want God telling us what to do. We don’t want to forgive; we don’t want to give away “our” money, “our” time. Some things are simply more important to us than what Jesus has to offer. (I understand to a degree because I have been there before, but thank God for saving me and bringing me into the knowledge of His Word). Some of us don’t want to go to church every week, because it doesn’t take all that they think. Being a true Christian is not for everybody. Oh yeah, they’ll take Jesus as Savior, but the Lord thing, nah, that’s okay, they don’t want that.
And this is when God reminded of when the children of Israel asked for a king. Everybody else all around them had one. They said (and I am paraphrasing) “Samuel, all the other nations has a king, why can’t we have one? We want one, too.” God says do not covet… there is something to be said about wanting what other people have. But anyway the people told Samuel they wanted a king and Samuel was upset and he went to God and he told God that the people were rejecting him. And God said, don’t get it twisted, Samuel. “No. The people are not rejecting you, Samuel, they are rejecting Me.”(1 Samuel 8:6-8).
And this did it for me. That was why I could not shake the dust off. That is why we find ourselves there sometimes. We focus so much on us, what we are feeling, what we want, that we forget that it is not about us. It is not about our feelings; it is about the Word of God. And the Word says, shake the dust off and move on. And when we realize that as much as we may want people to get saved; as much as we may want people to get to the point where we “think” we are; that everything must be about God. As much as want people to rejoice in the goodness of God; to realize that everything they have comes from His hand. As much as we may want people to open up their mouths and to sing His praises; as much as we want people to receive the Word and to do it; as much as we want them to know God, to really know Him and have a relationship with Him; to be obedient to the authorities that He has placed in their lives; that no matter what else they want to do or feel, that it is not about what they want. As much as we want them to hear us we must realize that it is not about us. It is about God. Always about God. And they are not rejecting us, they are rejecting Him. And in doing that, they are rejecting all that comes with Him, peace, love, favor, wisdom, prosperity, abundant life.
And when we get this in our spirit we will and we can shake the dust off and truly move on, realizing that we have done the will of the Lord.
Shake the dust off and keep on stepping.
God is real and He loves us!!!
A servant of the Lord,
Sis. E
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