Tag Archives: rewards

Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted for Righteousness’ Sake

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
(Mt 5:10-12)

Jesus Christ once pointed out that His disciples would suffer for the sake of the kingdom and the righteousness of God. In the Bible, there are many characters who were persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Jesus suffered great persecution from the religious leaders of His day. After the establishment of the apostolic church, Jesus’ followers were persecuted for taking a stand for the Lord.

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Shining like the Stars

“Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” (Dan 12:3)

When we sang hymn 232 before the Sabbath morning service, the last sentence of the chorus caught my eyes. It read, “And they that turn many to His righteousness shall shine as the stars ever bright.” It reminded me of the afternoon Bible study topic, as we were going to study 1 Corinthians 3. In this chapter, Paul used the metaphor of building to illustrate the qualities of the holy workers’ works.

According to the Apostle Paul, the foundation of the building is Jesus Christ. There are two kinds of material that can be employed in the building. We are urged to examine how we build—with the valuable and lasting material (gold, silver, and precious stones) or with the worthless and fleeting material (wood, hay, and straw). Continue reading