Day 118, or April 28. Scorn and mocking are not that shocking.
Our thoughts today are from 2 Chronicles chapter 30, verses 10 and 11.
The couriers went from town to town in Ephraim and Manasseh, as far as Zebulon, but people
scorned and ridiculed them. Nevertheless, some from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulon humbled
themselves and went to Jerusalem.
The big picture surrounding these verses. Depending on the king ruling at the time,
the temple is sometimes well used, and at other times ignored and sometimes even deserted.
Under Hezekiah it has a spring clean, and worship is reintroduced once again. There
is a great Passover feast organized too, and the whole of Israel north and south is invited.
The response is mixed, but the event is very significant in the life of Judah, and it takes
place just before the Assyrians make real efforts to invade and conquer them.
And now today's action step. Some of my most fulfilling efforts have been door-knocking,
creating folk to special services and trying to create conversations about spiritual things.
People are so funny with their responses. One man told me, Sorry, I'm Jewish, to which
I replied, So was Jesus. He laughed and said his response usually got rid of folk like
me, and then proceeded to talk for about twenty minutes. We parted on great terms and I will
never know what happened after that, as I never revisited that particular street. When
couriers travelled north in the days of King Hezekiah, inviting Jews to a special Passover,
they got a very mixed response, including ridicule and mocking. However, some responded
positively and came to Jerusalem as requested. You never know how people will respond when
you make a point about spiritual things. One thing's for certain, when you do, it will
probably be the first time and maybe the only time that they will think of spiritual things.
Don't be afraid of the response. It's your job to witness, and it's their business how
they respond. God will make the most of it.