Rejection is one of the deepest pains that we face in life, and the way that you respond to it will make a huge difference in the direction your life goes. In today's episode, we explore how Jesus taught us to handle rejection in our ongoing study through the Gospel of Mark. Today's sermon clip is from Mark 6, where Jesus is sending out the 12 on their first mission, and he promised them, you guys are going to face rejection. and then he taught them how to handle it. So let's look at this clip. Stick around to the end because after the clip, I'm gonna give you some practical ideas on how to enjoy God's approval on your life. Welcome to the Food for Your Soul podcast, where we apply the word of God to the hearts of men and women to stoke the fires of your delight in Christ. Here's your host, Dr. D. Richard Ferguson. And the number one thing faith does in your life is it makes you repent of your sin. That's how you know if you have faith. You will repent when you sin. Where there's no repentance, there's no faith, which means there's no salvation. So they went out and they preached that people should repent. Just same thing Jesus preached, believe and repent. And I'll tell you folks, that is not a popular message. You go around preaching that, People aren't going to like it. Because when you tell people you need to repent, what does that imply? You're in sin, right? You're doing something wrong. You need to change. You need to make major, massive changes. And you're not right with God right now. You're shut out from God. In order to be close to God, you have to make a change. Well, people don't want to hear that. They don't want to hear they're doing something wrong. They don't want to hear that they're not close to God. They don't want to hear that God is angry with them. and that they have to give up the stuff they're doing. That's not a message that's going to be welcomed by very many people. And so Jesus was giving these guys a very difficult assignment. It's natural to want acceptance. So much of what we do every day is based on our desire to be accepted by people, from the way we dress to what we do with our hair, our speech patterns, our facial expressions, the way we act. We work so hard at fitting in and being accepted because being rejected is just so painful. There's nothing wrong with that, Desire, but here's the question that we have to make sure that we ask ourselves. Whose acceptance am I seeking? The hard fact is you're going to be rejected by someone, either by God or those who hate God. Obviously, if they hate God and you're like God, you're not gonna be able to please both them and God. You're gonna be accepted by one, rejected by the other. You long for acceptance, that's great, but make sure your acceptance in God's sight matters to you more than acceptance in people's sight. Make sure it's God's acceptance that you're seeking. And only when you're satisfied with being accepted by God, like, if He accepts me, that's enough. I don't need anyone else to accept me. Only when you get to that point will you be able to handle being rejected by the world. So here's a good exercise for you. Every time you find yourself thinking about your appearance or anything else that might make you acceptable in the eyes of people, your intelligence or the way you come off, anything like that, give equal time to thinking about what pleases God. So if you're a woman, for example, you look in the mirror, breathe a prayer like this. Father, thank you for the beauty you've given me. Help me to enjoy this beauty that you've given me rather than being discontent and complaining about what you haven't given me. Strengthen me today to be able to use this beauty for the purpose for which you gave it. I don't know if you've ever thought about your beauty that way. You have a role in contributing to the wonders of the creation. And so just say, God, I know I have this role. Enable me to fulfill that role today, to use my beauty for your glory. Now, you can pray the same thing about your intelligence, your gifts, your passions, your money, anything else that God has given you. What would it look like today for the things you do and say to be acceptable in God's sight? Thank you for listening. If you found today's episode edifying, why not share it with a friend? A simple post on social media can change a person's day. This season, the Food for Your Soul podcast features excerpts from our sermon series on the Gospel of Mark. Over 130 expository sermons covering every verse. You can find those and hundreds of other sermons for free download on drichardferguson.com. Until next time, rejoice in the Lord always, and set your mind on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.