Matthew Chapter 5. I love being persecuted.
You don't hear that very often, lol, do you? Verse 10 in this chapter says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
This blows my mind away. How corrupt does a culture or society have to be that one is persecuted for being righteous and holy? It happened to Jesus. He loved people, healed people, gave hope to people and didn't care how good or bad a person was. Eventually he was sought after by “religious leaders” to kill him. Verse 11 adds these words: Blessed are you not just when you are persecuted but you are also insulted, lied about, and have evil done to you.
And as if that wasn't crazy enough of a statement, Jesus then goes one step further and says to REJOICE and be GLAD about it because great is one's reward in heaven.
Think about that. There's a great reward that awaits those who can see past the physical, earthly world. Our vision must go beyond what's happening here on Earth. Our vision must be able to see into the eternal spiritual world. There's something special that can be said about a person who is so willing to walk faithfully with the Lord even if it means persecution or death. The person who can trust the Holy Spirit to empower them to overcome any type of persecution and be willing to die for the cause of Christ is amazing. Seriously, there's something special about a person who is so willing to endure physical pain or torture or death. Such requires a faith that understands that the heavenly eternal benefits greatly outweigh the temporary pain.
I want such a faith. I want to see persecution as being so minute compared to the eternal glorious benefits of heaven. I want to see and believe this so much that I'm able to REJOICE and be GLAD over the persecution. I can rejoice because I confidently know what great eternal rewards awaits me in heaven. God, I want to be empowered with such a heart and attitude. Empower me through your Holy Spirit daily so I can REJOICE and be GLAD when persecution comes.
My life is to be a representation of God's great love to those around me. I'm to be a light in a dark world. Only a fool would put their light out in darkness. Am I a fool? I have the light of Jesus in my life. Do I put that light out when I'm around non-Christians so they don't make fun of me? Do I hide my light cuz I don't want to be persecuted?
Jesus said to be great in heaven is to take seriously God's word and put it into practice. In fact. This chapter tells us not just to live it but to teach it to others. Yikes!! That means I have to make myself vulnerable to others and put my reputation at risk and possibly be persecuted.
Jesus even went as far as to say if your righteousness doesn't surpass the religious leaders then you'll never enter Heaven because the religious leaders were all about outward appearance while their heart inside was far from God.
I hope this gives you something to think about!