Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted

I work for an international sports ministry, and our leaders around the world face trials and challenges we here in the United States generally do not. On the regular, I hear about ministry happening through war, government crackdowns on Christianity, and leaders going without transportation, resources, and sometimes even food for the sake of staying in what they believe is God’s calling to see their countries transformed by Jesus.

They face unimaginable circumstances, and yet the joy on their faces and in their hearts is unmatched. How can this be? How is it possible to be at peace when the situations around them are often in turmoil?

Because they are holding to the One who holds all things together.

In what we know as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a new list of what it looked like to walk with Him. Each was counter to the culture of that day, leaning heavy on hardship, hurt, and humility. These blessed qualities also displayed a dependence on Him, a belief that He would restore justice and flood the world with His kingdom.

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Honored to have written Day 11, Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted, for SRT study on the Beatitudes. Will you join me there?