Although it is difficult to hear, Jesus tells us very clearly, persecution will come to those who follow Him. Matthew 5:11, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.”
John 15:21, “They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
While persecution is anything but comfortable and enjoyable, we have to remember where the focus is. Jesus tells us to love as He loves; however, He doesn’t tell us to be loved by everyone. We may love someone and they in turn hate us because of His name.
One of the toughest people to be is Christian. Being a Christian can harm our popularity; cost us our job; cost us our marriage; make us feel isolated; and make us misunderstood by many. People who we want to like us can dislike us because we are Christian.
Jesus calls us to be faithful to Him, despite the people around us who criticize us – and there is a lot of it in today’s world. The nice part about persecution? It is a reminder of where we belong – with Jesus Christ.
