Sun 12 Nov

Of the many disciples who followed Jesus, He chose twelve for His inner circle of trainees if you like. They would follow Him. He encouraged them in their ministry by blessing them. “Blessed are the poor for they will inherit the kingdom of God.” 

Part of the blessing was to have the blessing of being in the kingdom. There were other blessings. One of which we find strange to our ears – the blessing of persecution. He describes of persecution in this fashion. People insult you. They will hate you. They will exclude you. We would not think of such things as a blessing. 

If we are to follow Jesus, persecution is something we can expect. Jesus warns the new followers to expect persecution. These are some of the blessings we receive. We are abundantly blessed by God. 

The Roman Empire might be enormous by world standards, but compared to God’s eternal kingdom it pales into insignificance. Yet God in His mercy invites us in and gives us citizenship in His kingdom. Let us give God the thanks and praise He rightly deserves.