Three Things to Remember When I'm Opposed

In Matthew 5:10-12 I read, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.” (NLT)

When feeling pressured by the world because I love Jesus and others don’t, I need to keep in mind three things:

1. Opposition can make me more like Jesus.

Jesus says in John 15:18-20, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you” (NLT).

If I’m going to mature and be like Jesus Christ, I’ll have to go through the things Jesus went through, including loneliness, discouragement, stress, and temptation. Why would God spare me when he didn’t spare his own Son from those things?

2. Opposition will deepen my faith.

Faith is like a muscle. A muscle won’t grow when I sit in a chair and eat chips. A muscle grows by being stretched, strained, and tested. I’m never going to grow a muscle if no weight is ever pulling in the opposite direction.

So, if I’m not seeing opposition in my life, my faith is not growing. The strongest believers in the world right now are those who are having their faith tested the most. The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:7, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world” (NLT).

3. Opposition will lead to eternal rewards.

Matthew 5:10-12 says, “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven” (NLT). 

God will bless everyone who’s persecuted for living for him. But notice that it doesn’t mean that I’ll get rewarded for being rude or obnoxious. If I live a self-righteous life when I get persecuted, I’m not a martyr; I’m just a fool. 

I don’t get rewarded for being rude. I get rewarded for being like Jesus. When I live out my faith, do it with gentleness and respect, just like Jesus, and then I will be rewarded for it one day in heaven.

Whenever I’m harassed for my faith, remember these three things: Opposition can make me more like Jesus, deepen my faith, and lead to eternal rewards in heaven.