Acts 13:51 “But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.”
Shake It Off!
Doing right has always drawn the opposition of those who are doing wrong. Being discouraged about doing what is right is nothing new! The Apostles were busy declaring glad tidings about the Good News, but not everyone was glad or in a good mood about it. They were even interrupted by a sorcerer named Elymas and eventually expelled from the country. Talk about a rough time on visitation outreach!
Have you ever had a terrible, lousy, all-together bad day while serving Christ? Those days have existed since the beginning. If you do what is right, you will always be opposed by that which is wrong. Doing right doesn’t mean that everything will be easy, wonderful, and uneventful. It may be that, like the Apostles, you will face opposition you would not have had apart from doing right.
So what do you do in such cases? Shake it off and keep it up! Paul and Barnabas “shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost.” The Bible is not making an excuse for blowing people off or an alibi for giving up; It is encouraging us to keep going with the Gospel message. Do you realize that “a great multitude both of Jews and also of the Greeks believed.” That beats sitting around and sulking about the rude reception in Antioch!
There may come a time when it is better to “shake it off” and move on. Don’t languish in defeat, discouragement, and opposition. It is a new day with new opportunities to spread the Good News. You can’t move on if you are stuck in one place. Shake it off, and then keep on doing right. You don’t have a choice about facing opposition, but you do have a choice in how you respond. You may have brand new opportunities waiting for you, so shake it off and keep at it!