11/4/2016
The Normal Ones

11 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 5:11

3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.

4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.

John 16:3-4

In times past being persecuted for Christ meant being thrown in jail for your faith or even put to death. Today, most of us do not face life or death in our stand for the Gospel, but as Christians we are sure to face some sort of persecution. In fact, it is more difficult to live a Christian life today than at any time in history. Centuries ago, the martyrs longed to go to their death for the cause of Christ. Today, we long to live for the cause of Christ. The Word says, “...all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution,” and that is as true today as it ever has been. 

This sister from Australia was facing one of those trials in her own life, but it was the realization that the grace of God had shown her Truth, and she is rejoicing and exceedingly glad to bear the persecution for her Lord.

Sometimes going to school as a believer is hard, especially when people sometimes laugh at you for what you believe. Other teenagers will especially laugh at the sisters who wear long clothes and no makeup.

I've experienced what it feels like to be laughed at by people at school, and most of the time, to be honest, I just thought "those people will be judged for laughing at me," you know, thoughts along those lines. A few days ago I was walking down the stairs at my school when a group of girls stared at me, and I remember one girl was even laughing at me. I started having the same train of thought, of judgment for those people, but a thought came to me, that it is very sad for those people that they don't have the truth that I have.

So instead of thinking about judgment, I just realized it was very sad. The same thing happened today while standing at the bus stop, when a bus was stopping by, one of the school girls in the bus looked at me, I guess it was weird for her to see me not wearing a mini school skirt. But I thought it was sad also, instead of thinking of judgment all the time for those very lost souls, I realized my thinking changed. It's sad for those people that they have to fulfill scripture in that way. The Bible and the Word said we'd be persecuted, but it's sad that some people are blindly fulfilling this, thinking that everything is fine. To be honest, I believe we are the normal ones. I know the world will look at me weird, but I'm the normal one, by His grace.

Thanks to my LORD JESUS for letting me realize this, brethren. "God is blessing me daily."

Sister Sharon

Australia