The Thing To Persist In!

Do you get frustrated when you send someone an e-mail and for some reason it comes back to you with a failure notice? Have you ever sent a letter to someone only to have it return stamped “Refused. Return To Sender” ? Or have you ever left messages on someone’s answering machine, but never received a return call? Such situations can be very frustrating, especially when we have something important to say. We might even get angry that what we have to say is being ignored.

Consider God with regard to His people at various times. A couple days ago I finished reading through 2 Chronicles and was struck by a statement made in the last chapter.

We read…
“(15) The LORD, the GOD of their fathers, SENT PERSISTENTLY TO THEM BY HIS MESSENGERS, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. (16) BUT THEY KEPT MOCKING THE MESSENGERS OF GOD, DESPISING HIS WORDS and SCOFFING AT HIS PROPHETS, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.” ( 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 ESV)

God KEPT SENDING and His people KEPT REJECTING. In His compassion God PERSISTED IN SENDING His messengers, but they PERSISTED IN MOCKING AND SCOFFING at them. It angered God. There was no remedy, except to have them taken into captivity that they might once again turn their focus back toward the only One Who could rescue them.

Jesus told a parable that illustrated the various ways in which God’s messengers had been treated and how He himself would be dealt with as well. ( Mark 12:1-11) Jesus even wept over Jerusalem because of the way the prophets who had been sent to her had been treated. ( Matthew 23:37)

The Hebrew writer warned…
“See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, MUCH LESS WILL WE ESCAPE IF WE REJECT HIM WHO WARNS FROM HEAVEN.” ( Hebrews 12:25 ESV)

May this never be something of which we would become guilty. God sent His Son. He has spoken. Let us be PERSISTENT in listening to His message.

Have a great day ACCEPTING ALL OF HIS MESSAGE!
Carl

See other teEn-MAIL on God's Word