Daily Bread 1-19-18

The Sermon on the mount

Matthew 5:10

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

ref - Lk 6:22,23 - Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Another blessing that only comes when the world pushes us away! So many times we see this scripture misused when we are rebuked or corrected with the word of God, but we must remember the end of the sentence; for the son of man's sake. This gospel was not made to make worldly people comfortable, that is unless they submit to it, it was made to make them squirm. Their first reaction to any type of rebuke is, "woe is me, I am being persecuted." But in reality they are being convicted and their only defense is to fight back. But in God's will, one day, those words and this gospel will penetrate their souls, just as it did ours, and all of the things that convicted them will bring them to a Godly repentance. What comes with a Godly repentance? Blessing! So, you see, this verse is not only for those who have been cast out of worldly circles by worldly people, but also those who have been convicted and feel persecuted by this gospel. When the word of God keeps coming, and the correction keeps coming, unless they repent, it will be torturous. But thank God that he has sent messengers that do not care about their popularity and are not concerned with the thoughts and feelings of the enemy and his pawns. Thank God for knowing that if the world disagrees with us we are on the right track. We do not seek the approval of the world but of God. If we are being persecuted for righteousness sake and for our attempts to further this gospel, then praise God! We have achieved something good! We are walking away from the world and it's teachings and closer to the teachings of Christ. Support this gospel and have no worry for the world, it will perish, but worry about falling short of the one who holds eternity in his hands. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. No man will be able to go to God except through him. The day that we stand for the cross above all other things, including the things and people that we hold dearest, is the day that our inner being will find that precious release that we call peace!!! The apostles and prophets were taken out by their enemies but their eternal reward was given by God. The one who they followed over all others. Not saying that our lives will be taken, or maybe they will, but the fact of the matter is that we will always have people fighting against us as we fulfill our callings. These people are not led by God, but they are being used by the enemy to try to slow us down. Don't turn back and don't slow down! Jesus Christ will meet you there!!! Have a great day and be blessed!!!!