Daily Devotional
Are You Facing Persecution?
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”
Matthew 5:11
July 18, 2023
Ponder This
When I was in college, I had a job as a construction worker—I was a carpenter’s helper. The people I worked with asked me, “What are you going to do, son?” And I said, “God’s called me to preach.” Well, I got it in the neck from that time on—all the preacher jokes, all the dirty language, and so forth. And then one man called me aside, and he looked at me seriously. He said, “Young man, if you’re going to be a preacher, let me tell you how to be a good one. I know a preacher. Everybody loves him. He never talks about politics or religion. If you’ll just be a preacher that never talks about politics and religion, you can be loved.”
Now if you’re a Christian, there is a way you can escape persecution—just fail to be salt and light, just compromise. Rub shoulders with this old world. You won’t get any persecution. Let me tell you something: in the Christian life, joy is the thermostat. You can set the thermostat and decide that you’re going to live with joy because joy is internal, and it doesn’t depend upon circumstances. But if joy is the thermostat, persecution is the thermometer. It shows whether you are living for the Lord Jesus Christ.
- How have you seen the truth that joy is the thermostat and persecution is the thermometer of Christian living?
- Where have you faced opposition as you’ve lived for Jesus? If you’ve never faced this, what might this imply about the way you are living?
Practice This
Ask a trusted friend this week for an honest assessment of how much your life points to Jesus regularly.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
