The Beatitudes 9
Bible passage: Matthew 5:11-12
"11. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you"
Dear brothers and sisters, Today’s the last session of the Beatitudes. Last week, we looked at ‘blessed are those persecuted for the sake of righteousness.’ When you try to live righteously, you may face persecution. But through this, your faith matures and grows.
The more it does, the better the dwelling place in heaven you enter. Through persecution, you change into a more complete person, becoming salt and light of the world and causing persecutions from others to go away. Relatives who once criticized you for not attending family gatherings on Sunday now schedule gatherings on a day other than Sunday. Family and friends who once opposed your church-goings now acknowledge and join you. When you fully walk in the light, the enemy devil and Satan has no grounds to accuse you.
Achieving complete righteousness doesn’t mean persecution fully disappears. Like today’s passage says, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
