Worth Repeating

 Matthew 5:10 (KJV) Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

      As we approach the last Beatitude we find perhaps the greatest paradox of all the statements that Jesus made in this discourse, “Joyful Persecution.” That’s what He is telling us. We are blessed and should count it joy when we are persecuted for Christ’s sake.

      This statement is so shocking that Jesus felt like He needed to repeat it. So He continues in verse 11,

     “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

     Notice that in verse 10 the discourse is kept in the third person, “Blessed are they” but now Jesus changes to the second person, “Blessed are you”. There is no mistaking that this blessing is meant for each and every one of us. It’s personal.

      We like having a personal savior, a personal salvation, a personal healing, a personal blessing but I haven’t found any that enjoy real, up-close persecution. When it comes it seems the first thing on our mind is how to make it go away. But Jesus is telling us that it is a blessing when men insult us, persecute us, lie about us, and say all kinds of evil things about us. I can tell you. I have had my share of all those things and it does not come naturally to count them blessings. We think of how to get payback, how to make it stop, how to get even, or how to defend ourselves but the farthest thing from our mind is “Wow! I am really blessed.”

     If you are under attack today, your good is being spoken of as evil, your reputation is being maligned, and lies are being told about you, remember that all those things were done to Jesus. Stop for moment, lift your head and count it a blessing that you have been chosen to walk in His footsteps.