Persecution: October 11, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR FRIDAY OCTOBER 11, 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:

When we think of persecution we think of one being killed or martyred for the cause of Christ. But there are other issues that are considered persecution. Some may think that persecution is living in an unstable an undesirable home situation, being talked to critically by a peer or friend or being hurt by somebody physically or mentally.

Teenagers today feel they are being "persecuted" by peers at their school who do not let them into their "group." Being accepted today is vital to children, youth and even adults. When one is not accepted they feel persecuted. Bullying is persecution and a growing problem on school campuses.

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. If this is so, we 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 is an indication that we are doing what is right in God's sight and we are being faithful to our belief in the Lord.

Jesus said we are blessed when people revile and insult us, persecute us and say all kinds of evil things about 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). The Christians life on earth is very short but the Christian will have all of eternity to enjoy his or her reward.

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 because of their stand for Christ in just the last 60 years. Many Christians have lost jobs because of their faith. Just today we received an E-mail concerning a Christian who was fired from his TV job because of his stand against abortion and gay marriage. In many parts of the world Christian churches and homes of Christian believers are being burned to the ground.

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 by standing 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 for this, we feel, is that Christians are silent about their faith. This is just what Satan wants. He wants to silence Christians. Even though we may risk some persecution from others we need to speak up and be heard. When persecution comes are way, just remember the persecution that Jesus went through for our salvation.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 19:17.

One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.

PRAYER

Thank You Lord for what You did for me by dying on the cross. Help me to represent You today with a new fervor and drive so that others will have no doubt as to what I believe. Help me to challenge my family and Christian friends to join me in standing tall for You.