| No Pain
No Gain
by Kimberly B. Southall
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Has anyone ever made fun
of you, said bad things about or to you, or hurt you because you did the
right thing or because you are a Christian? Chances are if that hasn't
happened to you yet, it will someday. Those of us who love Jesus and try
to do the right thing make others uncomfortable. Deep down, they realize
that something is not quite right in their lives . . . something
is missing. As a result, they often try to make themselves look and feel
better by trying to make us look and feel badly. This is what Jesus was
talking about when He said this:
Blessed
are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is
your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets
who were before you. --Matthew 5:11-12 (NIV)
That is just one of Jesus' wonderful
promises for us. Even while others might treat us very badly here and now
because we love Jesus, we can still do what we know is right, because we
know that God will reward us later. Just as that popular phrase goes, "No
pain, no gain," we can remember that whenever we endure hard times
for Jesus' sake, we really are being blessed with a great reward in heaven.
Copyright © 2000 Kimberly
B. Southall. All rights reserved.
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