Matthew 5:11-12
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
I think it would be safe to say that most of us are whiners rather than winners. We cry like babies when someone steps on our spiritual toes. The words Jesus speaks in the Beatitudes stand as a sharp contrast to that way of thinking.
To be honest, none of us enjoy painful experiences. We do everything we can to negate the pangs of pain, but let’s face it — there are times when pain is unavoidable and we have to deal with it. That is when spiritual living becomes real.
Jesus says that we are to consider times of reviling, persecution, and false accusations for standing strong for His sake as blessings. Wow! What a revolutionary thought! It is a clarion call to true discipleship. Amazingly, Jesus tells us to REJOICE!
The spiritual justification Jesus gives for this revolutionary reaction is that our reward is not necessarily on this earth, but awaits us in heaven. Secondly, it helps us to identify with the prophets of old who endured with courage and determination. It says to me that we are to EMBRACE PERSECUTION when it comes our way!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil