Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted Because Of Righteousness

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

a prayer to open

Give me eyes to see, Lord—

to see your Kingdom, your heart, your love. Give me eyes to see.

Persecution—at least as the early followers of Jesus experienced it—isn’t common in most places today. Although there are certain areas where Christians can be and are killed for following Jesus, for most of us, persecution comes in less obvious ways, such as insults or social rejection. Sometimes this kind of persecution is linked to beliefs, and sometimes it’s linked to action. Jesus seems to be addressing the persecution his followers receive not necessarily when they profess faith in him but rather when they act rightly or for a just cause. Consider an office environment in which all the employees regularly disparage their boss. It has become a sport, and each week the comments get more demeaning. A new employee starts at the company and after a couple of days of experiencing this office sport decides she can’t participate in it. It isn’t right. What will the response be from her coworkers? Most likely she’ll be cast out, considered strange and not part of the team. And her boss will probably never know that she took a stand in this way and refused to take part. The Kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are persecuted because of righteousness.

• Who comes to mind when you think of people consistently doing the right thing even when it’s difficult?
• Consider a time you had a choice between acting rightly and taking the easier road of going along with the crowd, and you decided to just go along with the crowd. What got in the way of your doing the right thing?
• Reflect on the realms in your life in which you are most likely to avoid doing the right thing in order to not be rejected socially or insulted. What action (or nonaction) do you sense God inviting you to take? What would you need from him to be able to take that action?

Father, I want to seek after your Kingdom and your righteousness above all else. I want to act rightly in every situation. And yet I know I fall short time and time again. Help me see the areas in my life where I’m more apt to try to avoid social rejection and insults. Allow me to discern how to do the right thing in your strength. Let me be an example of someone who is unafraid to stand up for a just cause and against those things that demean and devalue. I need your wisdom to know the right thing, and your strength to do it. May your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.