Before We Can Know Acceptance, We Must Understand Rejection

Submitted by Donnie O’Fallon

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm34:18

Before We Can Know Acceptance, We Must Understand Rejection.

When was the first rejection on earth? It’s recorded in the first book of the Bible. God gives Adam and Eve everything they will ever need. He also gave them a warning, “Don’t eat from the one tree.” And what did they do? Ate from the one tree! Their direct defiance meant they rejected, not just God’s Word, but also God Himself (Genesis 2: 15-17; 3:6 ).

• Rejection is the act of refusing to accept or consider a person or a thing that is not wanted or not approved of.
• To be Rejected is to be cast aside, cast off, cast away, as having no value.

I wonder what Adam and Eve must have felt the day they rejected what God’s instructions? They hid themselves when their Creator came in the cool of the day to seek fellowship with his highest order of creation.

That day sin entered into the world. Death by sin, through Adam, was passed on to all men and as a result, “ we all fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) That day God provided a covering for their sin and promised a covering for the sin of all mankind.

Before We Can Know His Acceptance, We Must Know The Price/Cost That was Paid.

“But God demonstrates His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Have you ever experienced a time when you were in the presence of Holy God and you felt the heaviness of your sin? For the first time perhaps you heard the voice of The Living God and you felt a strange tug as though you were being pulled toward God’s love and Acceptance out of that rejection. I remember an August night in a Revival meeting at the first Baptist Church in Corrigan, Texas at age 23, God offered me forgiveness and an acceptance through Christ when I acknowledged my sins and His Sovereignty.

There Are Three Potential Levels of Acceptance

• There’s Zero Acceptance which says “I’ve done so much, I’ve been so bad, that God could never accept me.”
•  There is a performance based acceptance which says, “ I will feel accepted by God when I can achieve what God expects of me.” Well friend He expects perfection, and we can never achieve that.
• The final level is unconditional acceptance. That, my friend, is what the Grace of God is all about.

I understood that a year after I was saved. I Accepted Gods calling upon my life to be a Preacher of the Gospel of Gods Good News as I read these words: “You did not choose me but I chose you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain, So that whatever you ask of the Father in my name He may give it to you.” (John 15:16)

A Promise to claim.

If you’re reading this, let me assure you that you have been and will be accepted by God too! “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9