Persevere When Persecuted (April 8, 2025)
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12)
Walking by faith in Jesus Christ is the only route to abundant and eternal life, but the Christian lifestyle is far from a cakewalk. We live in an age when moral standards are rapidly plummeting; God’s Word is being compromised, if not altogether rejected; and the multitudes are pursuing the pleasures and passions of the material world rather than laying up heavenly treasures by building spiritually life-saving personal relationships with Christ. In a nation founded on Christian principles and godly values, the followers of Christ in America are increasingly ridiculed, derided, and scorned. Far worse off than us, practitioners of the Christian faith in many other parts of the world are severely persecuted, ostracized, and brutally murdered.
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
Persecution is part and parcel of living for Christ. The persecution of Christians has been evident since the earliest days of the church. As born-again believers who seek to model Jesus’ earthly example of love and service, we can expect to suffer some form of persecution, and we’d better be prepared for this testing of our faith. It takes real courage to stand up for our Christian beliefs and defend our faith in a fallen world and secular society where evil and injustice prevail. As Christians true to our faith, however, we must boldly persevere with humility, grace, and love to fulfill Jesus’ command to spread the Gospel and make new disciples. Encouragingly, we can rest assured that those who suffer persecution for Christ’s sake will be richly rewarded in eternity!
Jesus promised: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)
