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

                            -Matthew 5:10, 11 

In the past, I've spend a lot of time focusing on how privileged American Christians are. But the fact is, even American Christian will face a degree of persecution (II Tim. 3:12), and we need to be prepared for when it comes.

If you have been serving the Lord very long, then you've probably faced persecution for it. No, I'm not talking about going to jail; I'm talking about being made fun of, criticized, and mistreated because of your faith. If you have ever experienced any of these things then, rest assured, great is your reward in heaven. By enduring persecution, you are taking part in Christ's suffering (I Pet 4:13), and we should rejoice when we face such trials (Acts 5:41). After all, if we're being mistreated because of our faith, that is an indication we are doing our job right: living out our faith for all the world to see.


In my life, I've heard many people say that they don't think America will ever become like other nations, and take away our Bibles, and our right to worship. Admittedly, I've probably said that a few times myself. But the truth is, we can't be sure. Who knows? It could be that next year being a Christian will be against the law. But what about today? If you were arrested on the charge of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you? If they looked at the visited websites on your browser, would they conclude you are a Christian? If they looked at your DVD collection, your CD collection, and even the clothes in your closet, would they say, "Never mind. We see now that you are not a follower of Christ. You are just like everybody else."? If so, then be aware that God will probably say the same words to you on Judgment Day.


As a final thought, I heard once that life is like a never-ending downward escalator. Being a Christian requires turning around, and running full speed in the opposite direction. Naturally, you'll get a few awkward glances as you march your way up, but what else do you expect? If you don't bump any shoulders, it's probably because you're heading in the same direction as everybody else.