There are several things that title could pertain to.
Tonight, it pertains to a decision I made this morning.
When I am sharing my faith, there are times that I will be mocked, and my words and intent twisted beyond recognition, as happened today.
I am, by nature, a very sensitive person. This kind of stuff gets to me. See, I want people to like me. And when they don't...well, I take it pretty hard. I care more than I want to admit.
But today, I decided that I really can't get my feelings hurt anymore. I mean, I had already decided that. But I decided again. Because of this:
Matthew 5:10-12 - Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
and this:
Luke 6:22 - Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man.
I was told today that I "spew venom" and that I am a "very good reason some people disbelieve in anything at all." Those words may not seem so hurtful now, but in the moment, they were.
In America, we don't often (I didn't say never, just not often) get the chance to be persecuted for our faith. But when we are, it will most often come when we claim to know the truth, about anything. So while this persecution isn't on the level of the Voice of the Martyrs, I'll take what I can get. Because God says I am blessed for it. And I believe Him.
The thing is, the Bible teaches that it is actually Jesus who they are angry with, Jesus who they take issue with. Jesus is the one who claimed to be the Truth. Jesus is the one who claimed to be the only Way. Jesus is the one who took the persecution then, and takes it now. When I am hated for His sake, I am blessed because He takes it for me. The persecution is His. It's all His.
As He increases, and I decrease, that becomes more and more obvious to me. I have to get out of the way. Because when I take things personally, it becomes about me, and not Him. But when I move, He takes the blow for me, and then blesses me for it. And He gets the glory.
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First Things First
Acts 17:11 - Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Please don't take my word (or anyone else's word, for that matter!) on anything. Search the Scriptures and see if what I say is true. That way, God can say that you are of noble character. (How great would that be to hear about yourself, from the Most High God?!)
This blog is simply a place for me to communicate the truths of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins that's found in Jesus Christ. I do not claim to have a full grasp on the things of which I will write. I will, however, do my best to communicate what I am learning.
There will undoubtedly be things I write that bear correction, since I am an imperfect person trying to understand the perfect Word of God. When that happens, I will note the correction.
Please don't take my word (or anyone else's word, for that matter!) on anything. Search the Scriptures and see if what I say is true. That way, God can say that you are of noble character. (How great would that be to hear about yourself, from the Most High God?!)
This blog is simply a place for me to communicate the truths of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins that's found in Jesus Christ. I do not claim to have a full grasp on the things of which I will write. I will, however, do my best to communicate what I am learning.
There will undoubtedly be things I write that bear correction, since I am an imperfect person trying to understand the perfect Word of God. When that happens, I will note the correction.
