daily devotional

Daily Devotional: Mutual Acceptance - July 13

“And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.” Matthew 10:14

For a relationship to exist there must be mutual acceptance. If I accept you and you do not accept me, there can be no relationship. When Jesus sent out the twelve, He reminded them of this important truth. As they reached out to others and received rejection in return, they were to move on.

Jesus wants you to be the friend of sinners. As a follower of Christ you know that you must accommodate yourself to the non-Christian, going to where he is rather than asking him to come to where you are. But as you seek to befriend the lost, they must accept you as surely as you must accept them. You cannot pretend to be someone you are not, refusing to reveal who you are and what you believe because you fear offending others. Nor can you compromise your convictions in order to win a hearing. If the unbeliever practices certain things that do not violate Scripture but do violate what you feel God would have you to do, such as smoking, they have to honor your convictions in the same way you honor theirs.

As a believer you are obligated to take the initiative in reaching out to those that do not know the Savior, but having befriended them, they must accept you or you do not have a relationship.

This daily devotional is provided by the Leadership Foundation (www.leadershipfoundation.org) & Walter Hendrichsen.

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