“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 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.”
MATTHEW 5:10-12
PONDER THIS
The word “rejoice” in this passage includes the idea of leaping and dancing. It invites us out of a pity party to remember the company we resemble. Verse 12 says, “so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
When I get to Heaven if I meet the Apostle Paul, and he asks, “Adrian, where are your scars?” I don’t want to say, “Well I don’t have any. I tried my best not to get hurt.” I don’t want to be ashamed. I want to live like Jesus, who went ahead of us and showed us how to walk through these challenges.
In Acts 4, some of the disciples were being persecuted. They’d been put in prison. They’d been beaten. But they kept on preaching Jesus. You might as well tell the sun not to shine as to tell these men not to preach Jesus. They’d been persecuted, but they reacted in such a way that the people of the world said, “They are like the Lord Jesus Christ.”
How do you typically respond when faced with challenges? How do those things reflect on your relationship with Christ?
Who has shown you how to follow Christ in the challenges of life? What have you learned from their example?
PRACTICE THIS
Who have you learned from as they walked through challenges? Encourage them by telling them what you’ve learned from observing them.
LWF Dr. Adrian Rogers
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