How accepting are you? Are you willing to accept other people into your life? Are you willing to accept a message from someone you don’t know? Someone you do know? Have you thought the person may be sent by God?
We have heard that God works in mysterious ways. Unfortunately, we often only say that when looking back at a strange occurrence. It is then that we see how God did something unexpected or sent someone to us we did not expect.
How can we recognize someone is sent to us by God? The simple answer is to be in constant communication with God. But it is a little more complicated than that. We may be continually meeting new people. Our jobs may require us to talk with a variety of people every day. It can be easy to miss a message from God.
To recognize the person was sent by God, we need to reflect on the encounter. What did the person do? What did the person say? They may have been sent to intervene on our behalf at just the right moment. They may have given us an encouraging message at just the right time.
Paying attention to the people we meet, the things they say, and determining if they were sent by God requires us to be attentive. Jesus says when we accept the person He sends, we accept Him. Accepting Jesus is more than being baptized and repeating words of acceptance. It is also being attentive, being on the lookout for messages He provides throughout our lives.
Accepting the person He sends is not just accepting Jesus, it is also accepting God, the Father. Why does God send people to us? He does it out of love. He knows what we need when we need it. He knows when we need to be given a word of encouragement, a bit of advice, a nudge in a different direction, or we are ready for a new ministry.
I pray we all are in constant communication with God. I pray we recognize when He sends someone to us. I pray each one of us are willing to hear the message God is sending our way. Be in prayer. Be in constant communication with God. Keep your eyes and ears open. Be willing to hear God’s message. Be willing to follow God’s guidance. Accept Him. Accept His messenger.
John 13:20 “Very truly I tell you, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.”
Marty Pressey 