Both of the devotions I read today were from Hebrews chapter 11 on faith and martyrdom. In that chapter it lists some of the believers in God then Jesus who were martyred from the Bible. It's a pretty dark theme about martyrdom. So I decided to write about the one of Beatitudes found in Matthew 5 which reflects that same theme.
SCRIPTURE
MATTHEW 5:11-12 New Testament
Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Great is your reward in heaven.
LESSON
The Sermon on the Mount was one of the largest sermons Jesus gave. It was large because thousands of people attended and large because it was a very long sermon. Jesus first started out his sermon with the Beatitudes, which were eight statements about the path to happiness. Each one started off with "Blessed are the……"
The one I chose is about being persecuted for His sake.
Throughout history and today people have been persecuted for their faith. When Jesus gave this sermon, the Jews were persecuted by the Romans. It hit home for them. The main message I believe is that even in hard times, God's people will be rewarded in heaven and receive eternity.
Stay strong and courageous in your faith even when times get tough!💕