Matthew 5:10 AMPC
[10] Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born-again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake (for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!
The words above were spoken by Jesus at the first Sermon on the Mount, as he sat down with the disciples who had been chosen to be with Him. This distinction is always important, as it lays out the expectations of God for those who choose to follow Christ. It is not a forced service, or a compulsion to follow; it has to come from a place of willing surrender and total submission to the authority and instructions of Christ. This distinction is also mentioned in the verse above, and is addressed to those who are born again. It is not for those who have been around church all their lives, but for those who have given Christ the permission and authority to take over their lives. They do not struggle with His commands, and have learnt over time to trust His wisdom, power and grace. Does this in any way describe you? Does it highlight my present identity or are there things I need to sort out first?
For those who have surrendered, they are fully aware and assured that whatever God allows to happen to them is aligned to His perfect will and purpose for their lives. He is the Great Physician, with full knowledge of the right dosage and timing for anything that will do me good. It is only from God's perspective that a man can rejoice in the face of tough times and persecution. It is only when God is involved that the present circumstances of a man looks nothing like what is ahead, or what God has planned for that man. In Christ the physical does not dictate the spiritual, but it is the spiritual that defines the physical. I can look ahead in hope to whatever is ahead, as I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep safe all that is committed into His hand. If I know this God this well, why would physical circumstances occupy my heart so much that they become a burden on my heart?
I have to see the same way God sees, so I can handle tough times the way God wanrs me to. He says that I am blessed if I am subject to trials and persecution, because it is a sign that the devil recognises the change that has happened inside of me. The devil knows I am now under new management, and he will do his best to destabilise and discourage me, so that if possible, he can disconnect me from my new supply. It is also only in God that true prosperity is possible, because no system can guarantee or give you that which it does not own. A man cannot give what he does not already own. I have to make sure that the pressure is based on the prospects that God promotes, not what man proposes. The reward is always eternal, which also makes it clear that the pressure is never built to last forever. Only God is eternal, and all who trust Him to the end will receive eternal life. God is waiting for you? What are you waiting for? God's time of favour is here..
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