Ever been made fun of, criticized or put down because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Free Gift of Righteousness? I haven't, but if any of you have, let me encourage you with Jesus' own words in Matthew:
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets before you."
I've read these and heard these words of Jesus preached as people who are persecuted for being nice or trying to live righteously. While it's true that people can catch insults for not participating in what the world does, Jesus is not talking about that. He's talking about people who are persecuted and insulted because of the Good News of God's unconditional Love and Grace towards us in His Son, Jesus. "Lawlessness! Antinomian! Heretic! False prophet!"
Do not fear men, brothers. Jesus loves you freely. Don't let people intimidate you with accusations and insults. When they make fun of you, just keep your eyes on Him alone.
1 comment:
Thank you for the encouragement!
You know, one other thing I notice in the religious world is that they 'deliberately' invite ridicule by acting holy and righteous, just so that they could brag about being ridiculed for being nice.
It is the secret pride they take in their heart by trying to obey the law with the energy of their flesh thinking that will make them righteous both in front of God and people. Thats the stinking false humility.
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