One Year Bible: April 3

He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me. Luke 10:16

To read today’s portion of scripture, you can purchase The One Year Bible (paid link) or find the following in your Bible: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19 Luke 10:13-37 Psalm 75:1-10 Proverbs 12:12-14 One of the first verses I memorized when I started walking with the Lord was Galatians 2:20: ”I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” The significance of that spectacular truth is twofold:

• It tells us that anything good that comes from us—a word of encouragement, a work of our hands, an expressed talent or gift, is no longer ours to claim. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me …”
• It tells us that the abandonment, betrayal, rejection and persecution that comes our way comes because of Jesus in us. It is aimed at and meant for Jesus. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me …”

Luke 10:16 is therefore simultaneously humbling and encouraging. We no longer need to live for the praise of others, because any praise that comes our way belongs to the One living in and through us. And we no longer need to take personally the slings and arrows shot our way, because they are motivated by and intended for the One living in and through us. And what else does the word say about rejection and persecution? Luke gave more encouragement about that in Luke 6:  “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way …” (Luke 6:22-23) How much easier it is to live this life free of the need for praise, and free of the fear of rejection! I would rather have Christ living in and through me than to have all the praise the world could offer. And I would rather know that the scorn and ridicule of others slung in my direction is because the Savior of the World is living within me, than to live a life completely free of persecution.