“So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 13:51-52,
New International Version
This passage seems strange when read outside the original context. However, when you understand the context of the passage, you see an important truth in regards to giving. The truth states that the success of your giving is not based on other’s responses; rather, the success of your giving is based on the intentions of your heart.
For women, this is a hard truth to accept. We are pleasers. We love to be loved. We love to be accepted. Often, we go to great lengths to try and make everyone happy and maintain peace no matter the cost. In Acts 13, we see the disciples of Jesus Christ taking a different approach to giving. The disciples learned early in their ministry that living for Jesus would produce rejection in their lives. The disciples embraced this truth and, as a result, experienced the freedom to give no matter the response.
We see this freedom firsthand in the account of Acts 13. Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey. They traveled to a place called Pisidian Antioch. Once there, Paul and Barnabas spoke in the Jewish Synagogue. Paul shared God’s story of redemption, tracing the story from the time of Israel’s slavery in Egypt to the time of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Initially, Paul and Barnabas received acceptance, and they were invited to speak the following week. The next week, the entire town arrived to hear the message Paul brought. The Jewish leaders became enraged with jealousy. In the end, Paul and Barnabas were persecuted and expelled from the region.
If you are wondering how Paul and Barnabas handled this rejection, reread Acts 13:51-52. Paul and Barnabas shook the dust from their feet and headed to the next town with joy in their hearts. How could the disciples respond to rejection in this way? Paul and Barnabas recognized the rejection was not personal. The Jewish leaders were not rejecting Paul and Barnabas; they were rejecting Christ. Freedom came in Paul and Barnabas’ lives when they embraced the truth that following Jesus would cost them. It would cost them their reputation. It would cost them their comfort. And in the end, it would cost them their lives. Although the cost was great, the reward was even greater. The reward became freedom on this earth to live a radical life for Jesus Christ no matter what!
Once Paul and Barnabas were rejected, we do not see them give up on the call to invest in the lives of others. No, Paul and Barnabas simply shook the dust from their feet and headed to the next town. Paul and Barnabas knew that the success of their life was not based on how people received their gift; instead, the success of their life was based on their willingness to continually give.
Today, do you need to hear that it is okay to give and be rejected and then make the choice to give again? If so, look to God’s Word and allow His Word to set you free. You can be rejected and still thrive in your life. You can experience rejection and have a heart that is full of joy and the Holy Spirit. The application for this spiritual truth can and should be broad. If you have been rejected in any area of life, do not give up. Do not shut down. Do not throw in the towel. Instead, shake the dust off your feet and move on!