Blessed Persecution
Matthew 5:10 Blessed
are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
WE really don’t like this beatitude, this blessing, do we?
Oh, we can tell one another, “Stand for Jesus no matter what! Rejoice in the
ways people ridicule you, hate you, despise you or even try to kill you because
God has your back!”
Those are easy
words to say, but we surely have no desire to live them. Think, for example, of
how fearful and anxious we become when we want to do something new in Jesus’
church. Persecution surely come if you want to change the music, drop a
“program” (a bad word for ministry), paint the walls, discipline an unrepentant
member or even teach the truth of the Bible against what people think is the truth.
No, we really
don’t like to be persecuted for Jesus. We reject opportunities to talk to
people of Jesus. We stop short of total commitment to a church project when we
know some people will not like us for it. We keep our mouths shut, refusing to
stand for Jesus because classmates, workmates, and church mates will turn away
from us.
The blessing in
persecution comes when we suffer in the name and truth of Jesus. Living for
Jesus to the point we’re persecuted for our faith means we get to be with Jesus!
We get to have Jesus as our friend. We get to be in love with him. We get to
live in the Kingdom of God because we are willing to effectually go to a cross
for Jesus’ sake. Jesus did it. As his followers we must be willing to do the
same.
LIFE Link: Persecution is temporary. Eternity is eternal.
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