Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Ever been accused of doing something you did not do? It can be an occasion to become angry, confused, and desperate. Jesus was foreshadowing how His life was going to play out. Even though He knew the outcome of His life, He still chose to let others in on God’s basic plan. God wanted His people, Israel to come back to Him. From the time that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, they have done nothing but whine and complain.
In the New Testament we have Christ’s example to follow in order to honor Him. We also have the Apostle Paul and John the Baptist as examples of how to live and not become discouraged. Jesus was tasked to show and tell others about His Father in Heaven, about how to get to Heaven, and how to grow in our faith. Paul showed us through his perseverance during his journey across the Middle East that teaching others about God’s love was more important than his own safety and comfort. While Paul was beaten, whipped, stranded, jailed, and shipwrecked, he never lost his passion and drive to share with others. The zeal he had used to persecute the Christians was the same he used to tell others the good news!
John the Baptist is an example of sacrifice for his beliefs. God sent John to be a messenger for Jesus’ ministry. John was raised with rules and a different purpose than most other kids. Being taught Scripture by both parents, he was raised in a strict Nazarene lifestyle—set apart and different. I am sure he was persecuted for the way he behaved and how he was different while he was young and definitely during his ministry. The Holy Spirit was with John while he preached the coming of the Messiah. He was able to discern the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and other religious leaders when they came to hear him speak.
We all know the outcome of each of their lives. What is more important is how they lived. The desire to serve God was so overwhelming they could not stop themselves. I pray that we, also, would receive a desire like their’s to share the Lord’s love with others as we live our lives.
About Tina Marin
Thank you, Tina, for the reminder of the men and women who “made it through” the insults and persecution because their desire to serve God was stronger than their desire to serve themselves. Their examples are encouragements that we too can “make it through” when we desire to serve God and share His love more than serving ourselves.
Thank you Clella. I pray that when I am confronted with such an occasion, that I will rise to meet the goal set before me.