ST. MATTHEW 5:1-2, 11-12

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2007

THE BEATITUDES - PART 9

1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. St. Matthew 5:1-2, 11, 12 (NKJV)

This is the final devotion of a series on the Beatitudes. Previous devotions can be found in the Archives.

One of the first questions to be asked is why does Jesus devote two of the Beatitudes to the subject of persecution? Maybe if I lived at a time or in a country where persecution of Christians takes place, I might understand. Some of you who read this may be persecuted because of your faith, and you would understand why Jesus chooses to speak to this twice. All we have to do is read histories of the Christian Church to know that persecution is a reality. We also recall that many came to America to escape religious persecution and to gain religious freedom.

Ask yourself these questions:

Am I strong enough to stand firm when others revile me or persecute me in ways I suggested yesterday? OR, do I cave in and join the crowd in order to avoid the troubles?

How do I respond when people accuse me falsely in order to demean Jesus? Do I stand firm or do I cave in?

If you cave in, verse 12 does not apply to you because you have walked away and turned your back on God. If you stand firm, then your reward will be great in heaven.

This is not something we can put off. We must pray daily that our faith might be strengthened. Don’t fear or worry about persecution as there is nothing people of faith can do to prevent it. Don’t ignore it either. Just pray that God will draw you closer to Him day by day. If you do, and if you ever need extra strength to stand firm, you will know that God is with you.

WE PRAY: LORD JESUS, draw me closer to you each day that Satan may never even begin to entice me away from your Love and Protection. AMEN.

A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION

Read a biography of St. Paul to see his example of dealing with persecution. As you read, make notes of what St. Paul did to stand firm in his faith.