Rejoice

The world often makes fun of, or tries to ridicule what it doesn't understand. And in our world where the Self is king, it certainly makes no sense that certain people would choose to sacrifice their fleshy desires on the altar of worship to God.

And that can lead to opposition. The early church had to deal with persecution from the Jewish leaders for proclaiming the resurrection, then from the Roman authorities for their refusal to worship the emperor.

Christianity has always been countercultural, and it has received pushback for that. And while the majority of Christians today do not have to live in fear for their lives, the threat of physical violence or even death is real for many Christians. But persecution can take other forms, some verbal or other non physical methods meant to bring shame to the Christian for standing for Christ.

Jesus told us these things would happen, if they hated Him, they'll most definitely hate us, so He tells us,

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.
Matthew 5:10‭-‬12 NIV

Here Christ tells us we are blessed when we are persecuted, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such people. He then goes further to tell us to rejoice when we are mocked and reviled for our faith because we will be rewarded in heaven, and we're among good company - the prophets who suffered the same thing.

While, being mocked and reviled is unpleasant, clearly it cannot be compared to the all surpassing joy that comes from identifying with the kingdom of heaven. And that should cause us to rejoice.

Our hack for this week: Rejoice when you are reviled for your faith.

#LifehacksfromJesus