Friday 11 Apr 2014

April 11: Matthew 10:7-15

Key Verse: Matthew 10:14
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.

Devotion:
When we do step forward and willingly take the Gospel out to others we should be willing to approach everyone; but as we quickly find out when we do, not everyone is willing to listen to what you have to say. What I want to point out quickly here is that almost everyone will reject the truth the first time because they know nothing else! So don’t get despondent and walk off to the next person as soon as you get a single no or a discouraging look.

We have to be consistent first of all to show people that we mean what we say; if after that they continually reject the Word of God, then we should think about whether we are talking to the right people. But don’t walk away just because you are growing tired of what people are saying or because they are not listening to what you think they should be listening to.

I have found out that youth listen to people in very different ways to adults nowadays. The youth have grown up in a society where things are coming at them from all angles and pretty much constantly too. They have had to filter out things in new ways and they do a pretty good job at it; but before they can effectively apply those filters, they have to be taught which the right filters are. That takes time and effort.

God wants us to take His Gospel message out to people. He wants us to show people how special and powerful He is. He wants us to bring glory to Him. This goes against modern society where people demand attention and praise all the time. We seek glory, fame and fortune all the time; or so it seems when you take a look from the outside in. What God says we should be doing is taking the truth and introducing it into the inside of people’s lives. That is where we will get the rejection first of all because it goes against their world. Don’t just give up and move on. Be persistent. Be consistent. But also be prepared to walk away when God calls you elsewhere.

Points to Ponder:
Do you think you listen to God?

Would you walk away if He asked?