10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. – Matthew 5:10-12
It has been a fun two weeks going through the Beatitudes of Jesus. These upside down statements give us insight into both the character of God, as well as His intention for us. Today we see Him demolishing the power of persecution and the daily evil we will face as His followers.
Persecution unites us intimately with a persecuted God. Jesus was no stranger to the evils in this world. As a man, He was a victim of great scorn daily. Gossip, baseless accusations, and violence greeted Him throughout His life. Yet, when seen in light of the end of His human story, we see a great blessing. We can take comfort in knowing that the hostility of man leads to the holiness of God. Even now, we see a God who patiently endures those who misrepresent and antagonize Him. His is a matchless confidence in knowing no matter how dire these circumstances are, His reign will ultimately win.
The Lord sees how they treat you. He sees our response and He is waiting to bless every false claim and cruel word directed towards you. Suffer well friend, His redemption is close behind.
Matt simon blog 