8 Resolutions Jesus Would Be Happy WithSample

8. Resolve to Stay Faithful When It Costs You

By now, we’ve heard the rhythm of the kingdom.

Poor in spirit.

Those who mourn.

The meek.

The hungry.

The merciful.

The pure in heart.

The peacemakers.

Every line has pulled us deeper into a way of being that runs upstream, away from ego, power, and image. But Jesus ends this litany of blessing with something brutally honest. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness…” (Matthew 5:10, NIV)

It’s not what we expect.

You’d think the final beatitude would be a crescendo, something triumphant, something that makes the path seem worth it. But Jesus doesn’t romanticize the road. He knows that anyone who actually lives this way, poor, pure, merciful, meek, is going to run into resistance.

Because righteousness, right-relatedness with God, others, and the world, will always clash with the counterfeit kingdoms of our age.

The Greek word Jesus uses, diōkō, means to be chased down, harassed, pressured.

Not because you’ve done something wrong, but precisely because you’ve chosen what’s right.

It’s not persecution for being loud or self-righteous.

It’s not suffering for your personality.

It’s the cost of living in alignment with Jesus when the world prefers compromise.

Everything in us wants to avoid pain, rejection, and loss. Yet Jesus calls blessed those who experience them because they chose love over fear, truth over compromise, and integrity over acceptance.

Righteousness doesn’t just mean being moral; it means being faithful.

Faithful to love.

Faithful to justice.

Faithful to the narrow way of Jesus, even when it’s not popular.

And that kind of life will always expose the idols around it and provoke a response.

Sometimes it’s obvious—losing a job, being excluded, suffering for the truth. Other times it’s quiet, the tension in a friendship, the sideways glance, the subtle pushback for standing in grace and truth at the same time.

But Jesus doesn’t say, “Avoid it.”

He says, “You’re blessed when this happens, because that kind of suffering means you’re walking the same path I walked.” This isn’t a command to seek out persecution. It’s a reminder that when it comes, you’re not alone.

You’re in the company of the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus Himself.

“...For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

“Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2 Timothy 3:12, NIV)

The early church knew this. They called it sharing in the sufferings of Christ. Not a badge of honor, but a sign that you’re close to His heart. As Tertullian famously wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” (1)

The reward?

“...theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:10, NIV)

Notice the tense again, is, not will be. Jesus began with this same phrase in verse 3, creating a frame around all eight beatitudes. The message is clear: The kingdom belongs now, in the present, to those who walk this path.

When you lose something for Jesus, you gain what the world could never give you, His presence. His power. His peace. To be persecuted for righteousness in our world may not mean prison or martyrdom—though for many, it still does. For us, it might mean choosing integrity over influence. Compassion over control. Truth over applause.

But the blessing still stands…

You are not cursed. You are not forsaken.

You are blessed because you belong to a different kingdom.

Jesus is saying, “Blessed are you when your faith costs you something. Blessed are you when you’re misunderstood for choosing love. Blessed are you when you lose the world but gain Me.”

The reward isn’t ease, it’s intimacy.

The gift isn’t applause, it’s the kingdom.

When you live for righteousness, you may lose the world’s approval, but you gain what the world can never give, the presence of God, here and forever.

Prayer

Jesus, give me the courage to follow You, even when it costs me something. Help me to live faithfully with truth, with love, with grace. When I feel the weight of rejection or resistance, remind me I’m not alone. Let Your presence be my reward. Keep my heart soft, my spirit strong, and my eyes fixed on Your kingdom. Amen.

Reflection

Where do you feel pressure to hide your faith or compromise your integrity? What would bold, gracious faithfulness look like in that exact place this week?

(1) Tertullian, Apology, chap. 50, in Apologetical Works, trans. T. R. Glover and Gerald H. Rendall, vol. 3 of The Loeb Classical Library (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1931)