Persecution

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:10


Jesus never said that as a result of your faith in Him, you would be the most popular and the most well liked person among your peers. No, He said just the opposite, to expect persecution since the life that He wants to live through you is in direct conflict to the ways of this fallen world that would encourage you to live your life in such a way that pleases your flesh as opposed to pleasing and loving your Father in Heaven. Paula and I went to a local club on New Years Eve to celebrate the coming year with some new friends of ours who are in our community group. The state of our world today was made very clear to us as we observed the self-fulfilling, sex crazed crowd that did not hold anything back during their time of celebrating the beginning of a new year. I was embarrassed that we had chosen this place in which to celebrate and even more so disappointed that we couldn’t truly celebrate with joy and love as a result of the environment. The reality though is that those people whom we observed on New Years Eve are the very reason that we are here and are the very reason that we do what we do as Christ followers. See, we must not isolate ourselves from the lost people of this fallen world as they need so desperately to see the love of God in and through our lives. So, as a result of the call to be “in the world but not of the world”, we will undoubtedly face much persecution as a result of the moral standards that we attempt to uphold through the power of Jesus who’s Spirit lives inside of all who have put their faith in Him. Knowing this, live your life today against the grain of the world around you and expect persecution, because the prize that awaits you in the end and the love that upholds you during your time here in this difficult world is far better than any short term acceptance or satisfaction that can be gained by giving in to the lies of the enemy. Live a righteous life today as a result of your faith and know that God will always be here to give you the power that you need to persevere until the end when you will see His face and will run into His arms of love, forever.