T he message we receive from our Scripture selections today reminds us of the rejection that people oftentimes experience for speaking the truth about their faith.  Jeremiah experienced it.  He felt the rejection of his friends and the entrapment by his enemies. All were on the lookout for any misstep Jeremiah might make. Then the derogatory slogan:  “Terror on every side! Denounce! Let us denounce him!”  Their ultimate objective was to eliminate him from the face of the earth.

Jeremiah never wavered in proclaiming the message he received from God.  Instead, he turned to the Lord, “a mighty champion.”  Since he was helpless he prayed to be allowed to witness the vengeance God would take on his enemies.

In a similar manner, the scribes and Pharisees reject Jesus and accuse him of blasphemy for making himself God.   Since they refused to believe his words or accept his works, they hoped to destroy him publicly accusing him of being a fraud.  So they tried to arrest him, but being the Son of God, he was able to escape from them.

In our own time people like Archbishop Oscar Romero were not only rejected but gunned down by soldiers as he offered Mass.  Why? Because he taught Christ’s message that the poor and disenfranchised were God’s children as well as the wealthy and powerful in San Salvador.  Following Jesus and Jeremiah he knew well his life would eventually be sacrificed for his publicly demanding justice for the poor.

Rejection will frequently be the result for people who proclaim God’s word by their speech and actions.  Seldom will it be as dramatic or irreversible as that experienced by Jeremiah, Jesus or Romero.  If you ever experienced rejection by friends or enemies for having proclaimed or publicly defended your Faith, praise the Lord! You might well be rejected but the Kingdom of Heaven is yours

Supplementary Reading

The Error of Positive Thinking

'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty. ~ Zechariah 4:6

G od's people should be the most positive, joyful people on earth. This joy should be a by-product of a healthy, intimate relationship with Jesus.

In today's business climate, we are barraged with every possible means of becoming more productive workplace believers. Positive thinking and self-help philosophy are promoted as tools for workplace believers to fulfill their potential and overcome the mountains in their lives. God calls each of us to be visionary leaders, but we must be careful that vision is born out of His Spirit, not the latest self-help program. These ideas lead us away from dependence on God to a self-based psychology designed to give us more power, prosperity, and significance.

The result is heresy. Our faith in God becomes faith in faith. It is born out of hard work and diligence rather than obedience to God's Spirit. The problem lies in that these philosophies sound good, and can even be supported by Bible verses. Beware of anything that puts the burden of performance on you rather than God. There are times in our lives when God doesn't want us to climb every mountain. Sometimes He wants us to go around.  Knowing the difference is the key to being a man or woman led by the Spirit.

God has called us to affect the workplace through His Spirit, not by our might. Have you tapped into the real power source of the soul? Ask the Lord to reveal and empower you through His Spirit today. Then you will know what real positive thinking is. -- OS Hillman

For meditation of the previous days/months , please click any of the following links:
http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com/
http://www.mabuhayradio.com/sections/the-daily-bread.html
http://butuanglobalforum.org/cgi-bin/dboard/YaBB.pl?num=1229339492/220

http://www.tlig.org/en/messages/

EL SHADDAI Radio Program :  http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=50&tid=1

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.