Matthew 5:10

¹⁰ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

I was one of three people in my high school youth group that ended up going to seminary and into the ministry. I remember at least one quote from each of the other two.

One day, as our youth group was standing in line at a fast food restaurant, and I was complaining that it wasn’t moving, Glenn said “If we were moving, this would be a parade. It’s not, so we’re in a line.”

On more than one occasion, Tim, the other seminary-bound youth at our church, would explain why his walk in the Christian faith often put him out of step with the culture around by saying “I’m only visiting this planet.”

I think he might have been embracing what he perceived as persecution for trying to do the right thing (the way he understood the teachings of Jesus) but claiming that the kingdom of heaven was his ultimate home.

There are times when what we do – what we say – what we believe as Christians, side-lines us from the popular parade in our world. And we need to put up with the persecution as we feel more at home in the kingdom of heaven.

Prayer

God, as others may try to coax me into a life that ignores Your truth, remind me again of the abundant life you promise me as I walk the path of discipleship with Jesus. Amen.