Finding Hope in Uncertain TimesSample

Three Things to Remember When You’re Opposed

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.” Matthew 5:10-12 (NLT)

When you feel pressured by the world because you love Jesus and other people don’t, you need to remember three things:

1. Opposition can make you more like Jesus. Jesus said in John 15:18-19, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world” (NLT).

If you’re going to grow up and be like Jesus Christ, you’re going to have to go through the things Jesus went through, including loneliness, discouragement, stress, and temptation.

Why would God spare you when he didn’t spare his own Son from those things?

2. Opposition will deepen your faith. Your faith is like a muscle. A muscle grows by being stretched, strained, and tested. You’re never going to grow a muscle if no weight is ever pulling in the opposite direction.

If you don’t have opposition in your life, your faith is not growing. The strongest believers in the world are those who are having their faith tested the most. The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:7, “[Your faith] is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold” (NLT).

3. Opposition will give you eternal rewards. Matthew 5:10 says, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (NLT).

God’s going to bless anybody who’s persecuted for living for him. But notice that you don’t get rewarded for being rude or obnoxious. If you’re persecuted for living a self-righteous life, you’re not a martyr. You’re just a troublemaker. You don’t get rewarded for that.

You get rewarded for being like Jesus. When you share your faith, share it with gentleness and respect, and you’ll be rewarded for it one day in heaven.

This devotional © 2024 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.