Kings and Queens

There is such a drive in us to be liked, to be accepted, to be acknowledged, to be respected.  And consequently, we can become people pleasers of heroic proportions. 

What is the worst thing that can happen to us- we end up alone, rejected, ridiculed, and persecuted.  This is our greatest fear. 

But what does Jesus ask of us?  To befriend the dejected, the outcast, the unknown, the lost.  He became one of them, so he could identify with the deepest sorrow of humanity. 

He asks us to leave the 99 sheep to go find the missing one and bring her home.  Jesus always left the crowd to go out and gather the lost sheep of Israel.  He wanted them to feel safe and known, to be accepted and trusted.  He was the good shepherd that lay down his life for the sheep.

He says :
“ I will take your rejection, ridicule, persecution, loneliness, and give you a place among Kings and Queens of the Kingdom of God.”

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  Matthew 25:35