So.....let's get this straight: If I am a righteous, God-fearing person who loves Jesus, I will be persecuted. Does that sound like what it says in these verses?
Yes, it does.
Jesus was persecuted because he stood up to the religious hypocrisy of his day and called it out. He was persecuted because he claimed to be the Son of God. He was persecuted because he healed on the Sabbath.
When we are persecuted, remember these words Jesus spoke in John 15:18-20: "If the world hates you keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also."
Don't confuse being objectionable or difficult or fanatical or overzealous with being persecuted for Christ's sake. (I Peter 4:15: "Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler")
When I'm honest, I admit that I don't want to be persecuted, no matter what the reason. I want everyone to like and respect me, even if they don't agree with me. But the Bible is clear that there will be times when Christians will suffer persecution, and while America in 2017 doesn't seem like a place of persecution, we know that in many places around the globe, Christians can't worship freely.....they must deny Christ if they want a good job, or a place in government. Christians have been jailed, beaten, and put to death because they refused to deny his Lordship.
Lord, help me to have a heart that welcomes persecution for your sake. And help me to know when my own sin is the reason for the persecution. And I pray for your mercy as I put my life in your hands, knowing that you have the best plan, no matter what the day's troubles may bring. Amen.
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