Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted

For Righteousness For Theirs is the Kingdom of God.

Persecuted--treated in a cruel or harsh way, harassed.
Righteousness--doing what is right, virtuous, fairness and just actions.
Kingdom of God--a region or place under spiritual rule, the reign of God.

We see people groups world wide brutalized only because they are ‘different.’ They might look different. Their thinking is not like those who live around them. Usually these victimized persons chose to worship in another way than their neighbors.

We see persecution done in a more subtle form here in the United States. We have seen a ministry that, in the past, handed out New Testaments to fourth graders in school have to stand outside the schools, possibly across the street in order to complete their mission.

Several years ago, a series of church burnings across the Middle West and south were the act of one young man. A few years later, this blogger and her husband met some people who were members of one of those burned-out churches in the southern part of our state. We knew through the media, this young man lived less than 20 miles from our home town. I found myself apologizing to these people for the hurt done to them and to their church family.

The blessing here is those who suffer through injustice and persecution will be under God’s authority and protection. He who is in us is bigger than who is in the world.