Persecution Promised

What if you knew that you only had a limited number of days left here on earth? Who would you spend that time with? What would you tell them?

The time came when Jesus knew He only had a few days left before he would be unjustly killed. That must have been scary! He knew his days with his disciples were coming to an end. Those were the people He had spent every day with for years! And He knew what he needed to tell them.

He told them that in the days ahead, being His disciple wasn’t going to be easy and that the world hated them. Yikes! Thanks for the kind last words, Jesus!

Actually, these last words of Jesus were kind! Jesus knew that it wasn’t going to be easy, so He explained why. That helped a little! And then He told them about the comforter, encourager, counselor, and companion He would send — the Holy Spirit. God living in us by His Spirit. Wow!

Although Jesus promised persecution, He also promised His faithfulness through the presence of God’s Spirit! And He said it would be better that way than if He stuck around. Thank you, Jesus!

As a follower of Jesus, we will face opposition. Because we’ve chosen to live God’s way, we will encounter people who don’t like that about us. We will have to face the persecution promised in one way or another.

So, are you willing to experience opposition in order to stay committed to God?

He is faithful. He’s given us His Spirit to lean on and trust. Let’s trust Him!