In today’s devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef offers encouragement for seasons when you experience rejection from loved ones.
If you would like more insight into today’s devotional topic, listen to Dr. Michael Youssef’s sermon Don’t Ever Give Up, Part 8: LISTEN NOW
[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: You are listening to MY Devotional, the Daily Devotional from Dr. Michael Youssef and Leading The Way.
[00:00:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Determined Despite Disappointment by Dr. Michael Youssef
[00:00:13] [SPEAKER_01]: The playwright, George Bernard Shaw, captured the agony of what Joan of Art must have felt when on trial for her life in his play St. John.
[00:00:24] [SPEAKER_01]: She feels deeply abandoned, even by her own family. In the midst of her trial she cries out,
[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_01]: it is better to be alone with God. Have you ever felt abandoned?
[00:00:37] [SPEAKER_01]: The apostle Paul did. If there was one thing that caused Paul sorrow, it was the lack of courage of some of his closest friends.
[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_01]: This doesn't mean that all his friends and colleagues amand in him, Luke was with him,
[00:00:51] [SPEAKER_01]: but many of the others were scattered throughout Asia Minor. Near the end of his life he expressed his feelings of loneliness when he recalled his former companion and colleague in the ministry, Demos.
[00:01:04] [SPEAKER_01]: Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 410,
[00:01:07] [SPEAKER_01]: Demos, because he loved this world, has deserted me.
[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_01]: Few things break the heart of a certain of God, more than to witness people who have every reason to succeed in their Christian faith,
[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_01]: choose to take another road. It causes despair for a parent who watches his child walk away from God.
[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_01]: It's heart-wrenching for a godly man or woman to watch as a spouse lives in spiritual rebellion.
[00:01:34] [SPEAKER_01]: The next time someone hurts you, remember what Phillips Brooks said.
[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_01]: Ministry means deeper depths of sorrow and higher heights of joy and they often come together.
[00:01:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Is there a Demos in your life who is breaking your heart? Are you experiencing the hard, cool hand of rejection from someone you love?
[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_01]: Paul experienced the same thing.
[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_01]: If you're feeling dejected because of another's rejection, consider Paul's life in words.
[00:02:04] [SPEAKER_01]: He did not give up or lose faith. He trusted God and in his strength continued with the work God had given him to do.
[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_01]: You can't, too. Let's pray together.
[00:02:20] [SPEAKER_01]: Or thank you that you never leave us nor forsake us. May we draw near to you and sorrow and find new heights of joy.
[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_01]: We pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.
[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_00]: To take a deeper dive into today's devotional topic, check the show notes for links to additional resources.
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[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_00]: My devotional is a ministry of leading the way with Dr. Michael Yusse.
[00:02:51] [SPEAKER_00]: To learn more, visit LTW.org today.