Hope

Welcome to the final day of The Beatitude Collection! Our last day celebrates suffering.

Persecution is not a fun word to think about. Especially when you think of it having to do with our faith. I know I for one start to squirm in my chair and say, “Do I have to?” But Jesus has most definitely told us that following Him is not going to be easy (check out yesterday’s post). Jesus, however, did not leave us to sit in our persecution and suffering alone. He gave us the Bible to be a source of comfort and to look to the lives of those who have gone before us for encouragement. Hebrews 11:37-40 says, “They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.”

So, what are some lessons we can learn from those who have gone before us? (1). Persecution means we are doing something right! This world will always act in opposition to God, His character, and who He has called us to be. Therefore, of course the world and the followers of evil are going to be mad when we set ourselves as Christ followers (especially as followers of the Truth). (2). Suffering and persecution shows where our true treasure is! Don’t worry, if you feel forgotten, confused, or hurt during a struggle, you are allowed to experience and feel those things. All those experiences create a space for us to grow closer to God. However, if we stay bitter and resentful at God for the rest of our lives over a certain struggle, perhaps we have misunderstood our Creator and what our trials in this life are for. Trials are not sent to us because God “hates us” or we somehow “deserve it.” One reason suffering/ persecution comes is to show us what really matters in life and where we have set our hope. If our hope has been set on having good health, or having a good job to make a lot of money, or something else of that sort, at one time or another that “hope” is going to let us down. The things of this world are temporary.

So, let us set our hope on the things to come! Let us set our hope on Heaven where we will be rewarded by being in the presence of God every day for eternity. For there will be no more tears, pain, or suffering in Heaven. Praise God!

2 Corinthians 4:17-18, “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Alyssa Rasor