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"I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 3:14)
This week, I am sharing inspirational quotes with you. These are powerful sayings that I have heard recently and wanted you to hear and be blessed and challenged by.
Quote 2: "Rejection is preparation." (Matthew West)
Matthew West speaks from experience. He has said that his music career did not start off with a bang. In fact, for four years he struggled and was rejected. Some of the comments were: he was not talented enough, he could not sing well enough, and (this one stung) he was not handsome enough. But West seems to have the grit of the Apostle Paul, and he would not give up on his dream to write great Christian songs that would minister to many. All of the rejection was actually preparation for what he would do for the rest of his life. It softened his heart and humbled him. Is that not just like God? He loves us so much that He allows hard times to invade our lives so that He can shape and mold us to be the men and women of faith He has designed us to be!
West wrote and performs the title song to the movie Unplanned. It was interesting to hear his testimony of how he has been so intensely criticized for writing this song. People were telling him to not be political and just stick with his normal lyrics. One fan even told West that he would no longer attend West's concerts because of his bold pro-life stance.
I was asked recently in an interview if I ever get criticized. I chuckled, because I believe every leader (if they do indeed lead) is criticized, and at times, the criticism is rather blunt and harsh. The only way to not get criticized as a leader is to say nothing, do nothing, and stand up for nothing!
Speaking of Christian music, I have a couple popular tunes in my head right now, and they are so good. One is "Graves into Gardens" from Elevation Worship. Here are some of the lyrics: "You turn graves into gardens; You turn bones into armies; You turn seas into highways; You're the only one who can; You're the only one who can."
Another song stuck in my head is Needtobreathe's "Who Am I", which has a great part that goes like this: "While I'm on this road you take my hand; Somehow you really love who I really am; I push you away, still you won't let go; You grow your roses on my barren soul."
Be encouraged, child of God. Your current rejection just might be your preparation for something great, or your setback may in reality be a set up to catapult you upward to accomplish much for the Kingdom of God!
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