THE PERSECUTED

THE PERSECUTED
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you
and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be 
glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they 
persecuted
the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 5:10-12

With our hunger and thirst for righteousness comes the promise of 
persecution for those who take a stand for God. We have not been called to 
safety and
comfort but to serve in the midst of conflict. Persecution is not to be 
strenuously avoided, for it is the result of righteous living. To avoid it, 
one
would have to cease living righteously.

The early church went through much persecution for their faith in Christ. It 
affected their livelihood. They had to ask themselves, Should a Christian
craftsman create idols for the temples? Or should a tailor sew robes for 
heathen priests?

Persecution affected social and family life. Most feasts were held in the 
temple of some god. A common invitation would be dining at the table of such
a god. Even an ordinary meal in a home began with a cup of wine poured out 
in honor of the gods, like grace before a meal. Could a Christian share in 
such
a meal like that?

Severe persecution meant being flung to the lions, burned at the stake, or 
being wrapped in pitch and set alight to provide light for Nero’s palace 
gardens.
Or it meant being sewn in animal skins and set upon by Nero’s hunting dogs. 
Christians were tortured on the rack; scraped with pincers; had molten lead
poured on them; had red-hot brass plates fixed to the most tender parts of 
their bodies; had eyes torn out; had limbs cut off and roasted before their
eyes; had hands and feet burned while cold water was poured over other parts 
to prolong agony.

Most of us have never in our lives made a real sacrifice for Jesus. To have 
to suffer persecution is to walk along the same road as the prophets, the 
saints,
and the martyrs. To suffer persecution is to make things easier for those 
who are to follow. To suffer persecution is to experience the fellowship of 
Christ,
as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did in the furnace (
Daniel 3:19-25).
It is not always so dramatic, but it is nevertheless real. Most of us enjoy 
the blessing of liberty today because men and women in the past were willing
to buy it for us at the cost of their own blood, sweat and tears.

RESPONSE: I will accept persecution, whether mild or hot, which comes as a 
result of righteous living.

PRAYER: Lord, encourage those today who are experiencing severe persecution for Your name.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS)
A daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks