Worthless Rejection

9For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has delivered us from the power of darkness and cconveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14in whom we have redemption dthrough His blood, the forgiveness of sins. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or eprincipalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Colossions 1: 9 - 17 NKJV

I was thinking the other day of the consequences of the choices that we christians make.  We all know that Christ Jesus has indeed given Himself for the forgiveness of our sins on the cross at calvary.  However, even though we are forgiven of our sins past, present and future, there are still consequences for our actions.  God does not discriminate.  Even though we may face consequences for our actions, there is but one choice which we are faced with which will be with us for an eternity.  That choice is our acceptance, or rejection of Christ Jesus.  For myself, I know where I stand in regards to my choice, but so many others have either refused or delayed that decision which would have a lasting impact on their lives.  Can we accept Jesus simply for what He has done for us and call it good?  Perhaps, but the truth of Jesus goes much deeper than that.  Yes, He died to cleanse me of my sins, but that in itself did nothing to take care of the core issue which all mankind must face.  From the begining, before we were even conceived, we were born with a sin condition as a result of the fall in the garden of eden.  Simply having our sins forgiven would not have handled our core sin issue.  For this there needed to be a blood sacrafice of a perfect, sinless man. That man is Christ Jesus.  Scripture tells us that our sin nature, our old man, was put to death with Him on that cross {Romans 6: 6-11}.  The death of Jesus accomplished not only the elimination of our sin debt, but the death of the sin nature we were born into.  We are left with the choice, do we accept Jesus or do we reject Him?

5Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” 7Remember those who arule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13: 5 - 8 NKJV

We know what the result is if we accept Christ Jesus, for He now resides within us {Galations 2:20}.  But what of those who for one reason or another reject the very man who can give them life.  Well, Jesus had some advice for those who rejected Him.

42Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45“And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46“I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. 47“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. 49“For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50“And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”

If we decide to not accept the Son of the living God on the hopes that He will someday adapt to our own beliefs we can forget that idea.  For scripture tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.  It is not Jesus who must come to us.  Rather, we must come to Him of our own accord.  It is my belief that our heavenly Father will most certainly lead those He chooses to come to Christ in humbleness.  For those who have accepted Jesus, you have gained eternity in His presence.  For those who choose not to accept Him, it is a worthless rejection.

~Scott~