God: Read Acts 13.
Me: What am I looking for?
God: It will find you. Just go read it.
Click here to read Acts 13
Me: Ok Lord, I have read it.
God: Tell me what you noticed in the story.
Me: I noticed that as Paul was teaching, the Jews in authority did not necessarily reject the message at first, but when they saw the crowds of people hungry for more, they were jealous. They were jealous of the attention Paul and Barnabus received. They did not begin contradicting the message until after Paul had the people's attention.
I also thought the words "continually filled" with the Holy Spirit in the last verse were interesting.
God: Will you be able to handle rejection like Paul? He "shook off" the dust from his feet and moved on and kept preaching.
Me: I would like to say yes, Lord. But, I really don't know. I tend to take things fairly personally, and shaking it off isn't always easy for me, even when I know that it isn't something on which I should dwell or that the source of rejection is unimportant to me. Why do I do that?
God: Paul knew what he was meant for, I sent him, and he went confidently knowing that he would face hardship. He was confident because he knew Me. The strength he displayed in trials was from knowing Me. He had found My approval, My favor, My grace, and he accepted it as truth. To him, this truth was more real than gravity.
Patrick, do not seek approval from men. Men can become jealous, envious or covetous very quickly without fully knowing it, when they themselves seek the favor and approval from men.
Me: Lord, why do we need approval?
God: Men's approval is a substitute for the salvation found in the depths of My love. Men seek fame and popularity to find worth, but it is a treacherous place to invest self-esteem, because the opinions of men are so easily swayed. The price I paid for you is the only value that will never change.
Me: How do I put my trust in the value you have declared? Why do I continue looking to others for approval?
God: Look into My eyes.
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