I have always been taught that Jesus Christ is the Receiver of men. I believe that teaching with all my heart. But unless I see the same Jesus as the Rejecter of men, I will never fully understand His dealings with us.
Salvation is not a one-way but a two-way street. I must commit myself to Jesus Christ, but He must also commit Himself to me. Some early followers of the Lord “believed” in Him, but He did not believe in them (John 2:23–25). He did not commit Himself to them, because He knew their hearts and saw their insincerity.
Since Jesus had the right of rejection, so do all His disciples. I must be as distinguishing as my Lord and refuse to commit myself to triflers, tarriers, and in-betweeners. I must search for the lost sheep who are anxious to be found and the prodigal son who is willing to come home.
I must be rigid in this. Even fleshly ties did not cause Jesus to soften or weaken His spiritual standard. His “mother” and His “brothers” were those who do “the will of My Father” (Matthew 12:48–50). This underscores an absolute standard in Jesus Christ: the spiritual takes precedence over every other relationship! He never turned away a truly needy, seeking person. But He scorned the religious showman.
I must beware of the frothy person whose religious commitment only takes care of his purse, his stomach, and his senses. These people abound. For them I must exercise the right of rejection and not believe in them, even as my Lord did not nineteen hundred years ago. Yet I must never cut myself off from those whom the Lord has accepted, those who “[work] right- eousness,” that is, do the right thing toward Him (Acts 10:35, KJV).
“For Thy lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Thy truth. I do not sit with deceitful men, nor will I go with pretenders” (Psalm 26:3–4).
Daily with the King 