Blessed for Persecution

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

Yesterday I was thinking about the pilgrims and the reason they came to America. They were suffering religious persecution from their native country and wanted to live somewhere new where they could worship the Lord freely. Moving to America was a bold move for the pilgrims. It took a lot of courage to load up their families and set out on a ship for months.

Persecution is tough. It is not fun. Christians are persecuted today. I think we often feel like Christians are persecuted now more than ever. This may be true, but there has always been persecution from the enemy.

Jesus knew that people were struggling with being persecuted for righteousness' sake. Jesus understands better than anyone what it feels like to be persecuted. However, He gives us hope when we endure persecution.

When a Christian endures persecution in a Christlike way, blessings will be poured out on that person. The blessings may not be immediate. Look at the pilgrims; they had to suffer for a while before God's blessing started rolling in.

But don't lose heart! When the persecution rages strong, hang in there because Jesus made us a promise.