Matthew 5:10-12

Matthew 5:10: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Life generally seems to revolve around this choice, which we are all presented with in various degrees of severity. On the one hand we can take the road of sin – living for ourselves, going along with the culture, doing whatever we want, and enjoying evil. Many people do this and lead a fairly happy, peaceful life. In fact, some people become very wealthy doing this and get the best things that life has to offer. However, death always comes, and after death there is the certainty of hell. Those who make this choice end up tormented by fire for all of eternity. Therefore, a life of sin leads to a possibly of a comfortable, easy life now, followed by the certainty of endless pain and suffering.

On the other hand, we can serve God – repenting, denying ourselves, obeying God rather than our own desires, and sacrificing our dreams for His. That path often leads to a life of suffering. We are persecuted, we struggle against sin, we are despised, and things just go wrong. But then death comes and God brings us to Heaven. In the end we spend eternity in peace, happiness, and contentment.

Generally speaking, that is really the choice. You can choose the easy life now, but you will pay for it for all eternity. Or you can choose the painful life now, and have endless joy for the rest of time.

As Jesus said, those who are persecuted – those who suffer because of their faithfulness to Him, and who are despised and murdered for believing in Jesus – will be immensely rewarded in Heaven. As God said, “great is your reward in Heaven”. He speaks of a great reward! Remember, God is so wealthy that He paves His streets with gold. Can you imagine how significant a reward must be in order for God to call it “great”?

A life of service to God may mean a life of persecution and suffering, and perhaps even a painful death. However, it is followed by tremendous joy, blessing, and a fantastic reward. We may suffer now for our faithfulness, but Jesus tells us that in the end it is well worth the cost.