My
dear friends, it is becoming extinct for Christians to suffer physical assault
or martyrdom for the sake of the gospel, but we live in a time of psychological and emotional assault for our great cause. How often do we hear people, even
our closest friends and family tag us mockingly with snotty names like Borney
[Born-again], spirikoko, Holy Holy, Virgin Mary e.t.c? In most cases, our
loved ones mean these things on a lighter note, but then some others out
rightly jeer at us to make a laugh of it because we do those things that are
right by allowing your soul to be filled by His righteousness. This can make us
feel bad or lose focus, but I want you to know these things are inevitable in the kingdom of
God. Find comfort in hearing what our Lord has eternally said concerning this: “You
are blessed 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” [Matt V:11-12]. Just so we can be clear I want to exclaim
one part again: “REJOICE AND BE GLAD!!!”. This is the winning attitude you need
to put up the next time someone makes fun of your answer to your vocation to
serve God in all righteousness. Laugh about it and be happy because that’s the
way we roll in the kingdom of Heaven.
Permit
me to speak to your hearts concerning the persecution that comes from
practicing, in all sincerity, the righteousness of God towards a loved one.
This is the pain that is experienced by a loving wife from an uncaring husband. I
want to also clearly state that marriage is not the only condition that would make legit the reality of this affliction. It is the same pain a heartbroken
lover feels when someone they have dedicated their life to love turns around
and judges them or leaves them to suffer, depressed in a very dark place, despite
promises to always fight together no matter the weather. The truth is they don’t
always know the damage they cause because we humans have no proof for the magnitude of other people’s love for us. In contemplation, if you understand a bit about
human love, you will understand that it enslaves a soul when it is real, a bit
like how God’s Love enslaves us. And because real love is a spark of Divine
Love, it is not just a kingdom of beauty and roses but suffering and pain, which are
quintessential to its edification. Surviving these things make love stronger. Surviving
the hurt make us stronger.
To you who suffer for doing right by those you
love, I want you to know what illuminated my heart some time ago. As I
realised my efforts were not for my own gains but to the glory of God, I got to
see that “God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust
treatment. For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as
Christ suffered for you. He is your example and you must follow in his steps”
[1 Pet. II:19,21; NLT]. He loved us to the point of dying for us even when we did
not love him. Just as his death was required for the glory of the resurrection,
so also the cross you bear would bring about the glory of your transformation.
Follow the footsteps of our Lord and walk into the Light of a resurrected
spirit-man. The
kingdom of God is not only a kingdom of many and abundance, it is a kingdom
whose ruler has overthrown the rulers of the world with a symbol of suffering [cf. John
XII:31-33]. By himself being lifted up from the earth he ushered a new kingdom
for those who would follow him to be lifted up in a similar manner. May God
help us to realise that we are already blessed when we have an opportunity to
suffer for righteousness sake in our call to Love God and love those he has
given to us. May we rejoice and be glad in an attitude of unshakable joy
because the promises of the kingdom is ever present in us. Shalom!
“O the blessedness of those who are persecuted for
righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” [Matt. V:10]
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