A Badge of Honor Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - (Matthew 5:10) God takes it personally when His people come under attack, just as you would take it personally if someone were to attack your child or your grandchild. When Saul of Tarsus, the notorious Christian killer, met Jesus on the Damascus Road, he had just presided over the death of Stephen, the first martyr of the church. Not only that, he was on his way to kill more Christians. So what did Jesus say to Saul?“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Notice that He did not say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting My people?” For Jesus, it was personal. In the same way, when God’s people come under persecution, it is personal to Him. So if you are going through some kind of hardship, if you are being harassed, criticized, or persecuted for your faith in Jesus, be encouraged by that. At the end of the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “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) Jesus used the word “blessed” twice as He spoke about persecution for His sake to emphasize the generous blessing given by God to the persecuted. Jesus was effectively saying, “Double blessed are the persecuted.” The word “blessed” also could be translated “happy.” It’s as though Jesus were saying, “Happy, happy are the persecuted.” It isn’t so happy when the persecution is taking place. But you can wear it as a badge of honor that someone would attack you because you so faithfully represent Jesus Christ. Copyright © 2013 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. How to increase your blessings in the life to come July 18, 2013 “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 Years ago, I preached in a week-long revival down in South Florida. The ministry that invited me had a very limited budget, so every night we’d pass an offering plate to help keep the lights on for the next night. We went day-to-day not knowing if we were going to be able to open the building tomorrow! Well, one night as we were shutting things down, a woman came to me and said, “Pastor, I’ve always wanted to attend a revival where there was no offering taken. I’m not against it, but I want it to just be about the people who don’t know Jesus.” And right then and there, she wrote a check that covered the expenses for the rest of the week. We didn’t have to take another offering! That revival had a tremendous impact on that little town, and I have no doubt it was due, in part, to that woman’s generosity. But what was more important than that was the reason she gave – not to get anything in return, but simply so that more people would hear the Gospel. I’ve never seen that woman again, but I have no doubt her reward in heaven is going to be great for that simple act of faith. So give generously, expecting nothing in return. You may not be rewarded in this life, but you’ll be blessed beyond compare in the life to come! INCREASE YOUR BLESSINGS IN THE LIFE TO COME BY GIVING GENEROUSLY IN THIS LIFE AND EXPECTING NOTHING IN RETURN!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Jul 2013 09:35:06 +0000
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