Boys Life Application Study Bible Gospel of John Sampler - Flipbook - Page 78
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LANE // 14
I can’t believe they left me out! Do they hate me or what? I couldn’t help
but wonder this as I watched the bus pull away, loaded with all my friends
on their way to David’s paintball birthday party. His father had rented a
huge charter bus to pick up kids from school and take them out to the
party. The guys had brought their overnight bags to class with them, and
they were talking it up all day. It was obvious who was going to spend the
night at David’s that night—and equally obvious who wasn’t.
David told me he didn’t invite me because they didn’t have enough
paintball guns. But I knew the truth. He left me out. As the bus turned the
corner and drove out of sight, my parents pulled up in our minivan to take
me home. I fought back the tears until I tumbled into the backseat.
At first I thought about how I could get back at David. I could have a
gigantic party and not invite him or his friends. But then I realized that it’s
not right to leave others out, no matter what they do to me. I talked to my
mom about how I felt, and she reminded me that I wasn’t the only one
who was left out. In fact, I started to notice that some pretty cool people
had not been invited. I could hang out with them.
If you’ve ever been left out, I know how you feel. It hurts. But maybe—like
me—after you think about it, you’ll realize that missing the party isn’t the
huge deal you once thought it was. And there are other people whom you
can be friends with.
John 1:10 tells us that although Christ created the world, the people he created didn’t recognize him. Even the people chosen by God to prepare the rest
of the world for the Messiah rejected him (John 1:11), although the entire Old
Testament pointed to his coming. But even though Jesus experienced rejection,
he didn’t give up. He fulfilled God’s purpose for his life. It hurts to be rejected.
But Jesus knows exactly how we feel. When we experience rejection, we can
turn to Jesus and ask him to show us how to handle it.
FOR
MORE
ON
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• Jealousy and sin, see Gen 37:19-20.
• Blessings for those who are mistreated, see Matthew
5:1-12.
2/28/2018 2:45:36 PM
