Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.

As much as we love the power of God’s love, there is another message that takes a little maturity to fully receive. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 5: 10)

I’m not sure that means being thrown to the lions, but it can definitely be deadly even today. Christians in many parts of the world are not only persecuted, but killed for their faith. That is the kind of faith that God is looking for, even if your life is not on the line.

In light of our brothers and sisters being martyred for what they believe, can we even handle a little harassment? For many of us, it’s not even harassment, it may be a little ridicule, or even silent judgement. We’re so sensitive to needing acceptance, that it’s too easy to hide our faith in case we’re not included in the crowd.

And what if you are harassed? What if you are openly ridiculed or judged? Would that change what you believe? Would that change who God is? Would it matter? No one is saying it’s easy being openly judged, but if you know the truth of God, then you have a very firm foundation to stand on. No matter what, the truth will set you free, and that is awesome.