Move on

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

MOVING ON

Acts 18:5-6

5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.   6 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

NIV

We certainly cannot badger someone into the Kingdom of God. We cannot grab them and drag them into the kingdom. All we can do is tell them the story and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. If they oppose us, they are really not opposing us but they are opposing God. Because we believe and know the scriptures, we know the fate of those who oppose God. Paul certainly made it clear that they blood was on their own heads. Their fate of destruction would be their own fault because they refused the message about Jesus Christ. This is certainly a life lesson for us. We can tell the story but it is up to each person we tell to make up their own mind, to accept or reject the message. Sure we might get a little upset and think it is a rejection of us, but it is not, they are simply rejecting the message. Now that is to say that might relate us to the message and therefor reject us as well. But we can shake out our clothes in protest to their opposition of the message and tell them we are clear of our responsibility and they fate is not in their own hands. There are some, not matter how persuasive we might try to be, who will always reject the message. We need to come to grips with that fact, knowing they will not accept the message, but it might also be good to leave them with that kind of a warning. Yet we have to know it still is up to each person and we have to be good with that. Rather than trying to keep on with the same people, who keep rejecting the message, we need to move on to others, who might receive the message.