Steven A. Bush - September 15, 2019
The Risk Worth Taking
Mark 6:4 says: "And Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.'” (ESV) These words were our Lord's reply when He was rejected by the people of His hometown in Nazareth. Jesus' disciples were with Him and saw that rejection firsthand. But they also had a front row seat to most of Jesus' messages and miracles. They knew He was a righteous Man and sensed He was the Righteous One. In John 15:18 Jesus warns: "If the world hates you, remember that it hated Me first." (NLT) So Jesus prepared His disciples visibly and verbally for what they likewise would endure. Then we also have Jesus' words in Matthew 10:40: "Whoever receives you receives Me, and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me." (ESV) There's encouragement here--not everyone will reject Christ and some, if not many, will receive the salvation He's earned for us. As we go forth in like manner with the Gospel, we certainly risk rejection. But we likewise risk reception. Every true believer at some point became one of those on the receiving end of His grace. Sharing the Good News is most certainly a risk worth taking. Let's take it!