Persecution: April 18, 2013

Today's Word for THURSDAY APRIL 18, 2013

PERSECUTION

DEFINITION: 

Subject to harassing or cruel treatment as a result of religion, race, or beliefs; to annoy or trouble persistently; oppress.

SCRIPTURE:

Bless those that persecute you. Romans 12:14.

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven Matthew 5:11-12.     

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

We receive literally scores of emails monthly from fellow believers, who receive our devotionals, telling us about the persecution they are facing because of their faith in the Lord. Some have lost jobs, some have been disowned by their family, others have had their homes burned, and many live in great fear. We are deeply concerned when we receive these reports and it compels us to pray for each one involved.

We live in a world where Satan and his evil influences are doing all they can to drive believers away from God. As believers we can expect persecution because we live in a world that has turned its back on God. Satan and evil will not win because we serve a Savior who has conquered sin and has paid the penalty for our sins and has promised that “great is our reward in heaven.” Isn’t that wonderful!

Many times non-acceptance comes as a result of one's strong stand for Christian standards and beliefs. Christians are often ridiculed and discriminated against. Jesus taught that we should consider ourselves blessed when we are persecuted if it is because of our faith. Those who are persecuted are not alone. Jesus certainly was persecuted and so were His disciples, other prophets and many that we read about in the Old and New Testament. If we are persecuted for our faith it means that we are doing what is right in God's sight and that we are being faithful to our belief in the Lord.

Jesus said we are blessed when people revile and persecute us. It is difficult to feel blessed when we are persecuted, so why does Jesus say we are blessed? He tells us that it is because "great is your reward in heaven." (Matthew 5:11-12 above)

Recently we read that over 70 million Christians have been martyred in the last 20 centuries because of their Christian faith. But, the more startling fact is that more than 50% of these 70 million have been martyred in the last 60 years.

Persecution severely tests our faith. When we consider how these martyrs were willing to suffer for their faith, we must ask ourselves how much we would be willing to suffer to stand up for our Lord and Savior. It takes great faith to stand strong in the face of persecution.

We urge you to be faithful in reading God's Word and these "Today's Word" devotionals which will help you know and understand how God wants you to deal with issues you face in life. It is only as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God's Word that we grow in our relationship with God and with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The closer our relationship with our Lord the stronger will be our faith. Only with strong faith will we be able to endure persecution.

Here in America many feel that we are turning away from our spiritual principles that our country was founded on. One of the reasons we feel this way is that Christians are silent about their faith. Even though we may risk some persecution from others we need to speak up and be heard. When persecution comes upon us we must remember the persecution that Jesus went through for our salvation and be assured that a great reward waits us in heaven.

LEARNING: 

Our memory verse for this week is found in Philippians 4:19.

My God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

PRAYER:

Thank You Lord for what You did for me by dying on the cross. Strengthen my faith day by day so that I will be able to remain faithful to You when I face persecution from this evil world. Help me to challenge my family and Christian friends to join me in standing tall for You.