S229P5 – Words to live by: righteous offense

Mt 5:11‭-‬12

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

One of his sisters was looking for work, so she asked if there were any openings at his shop.  He told her that they were always looking for help, but he gave her a warning.  He let her know that he was the black sheep at work because of his faith.  He told her she had to make sure she would be okay being looked down upon for her faith.  She decided that did not matter, and eventually worked alongside him.  It did not take long for him to notice that she was not being treated as he was.  He watched her interactions with the other staff, and everyone was really nice to her.  He wondered why he was being ostracized for his faith and she was not, but the truth of the matter was much different.  His faith was not what had offended those people and chased them away from him.

People can persecute and revile us in this world for a whole host of reasons.  Jesus tells us that it is a blessing to be persecuted and reviled for his sake.  This means that we are not being treated this way because of who we are but because of who He is.  If we are reviled because we are gruff or lack compassion for the world, that is not a blessed persecution.  If people ostracize us because we are simply impolite or rude, that is not a good thing.  The prophets were persecuted for their messages and not for their personalities or attitudes.  Their messages were harsh, but they were not harsh.  They simply were being obedient to speak the words God gave them, but their audiences did not want to hear those words.

People will be offended by the gospel message we speak to them, and that is a blessing.  People will revile us because we tell them that they are sinners and need to repent, and that is a blessing.  This is much different than suffering mistreatment because we ourselves treat people badly.  It is not for us to desire to be offensive in any way.  The gospel message does that on its own.  We simply speak the truth in love with authority, and we rejoice if our persecution is the result of our obedience to share the good news.  Father, help us be obedient to complete our kingdom work faithfully and look gladly on the persecution that follows for your sake.