The Upward Look
© Copyright 2012, Max D. Hutto,

“Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
   Matthew 5:11-12 NASB ©

Because the ungodly hate Jesus, they will persecute those who believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord. This persecution will include being insulted and falsely accused. The evil in this world will use any and all methods to harass, torment, and intimidate believers in order to stop the spread of the gospel. Some believers will even be murdered just like many of the prophets who spoke God’s truth. The result of this persecution is that the disciple will rejoice and have a great reward in heaven.

Lord, I pray that others will see Jesus in me. Give me the strength to stand for You even when others say vile things about me and try to destroy me.

* (footnotes & credits)

NASB ©
The Bible quotes marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible,
© Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977,
by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA. (used with permission)

HCSB ©
The Bible quotes marked HCSB are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible,
© Copyright 2000 by Holman Bible Publishers (used with permission).

NIV ©
The Bible quotes marked NIV are from the New International Version,
© Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, by The International Bible Society. (used with permission)