The Cost of Righteousness

"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." (Matthew 5:10-12)

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33)

As a Christian, what is your priority? Is it the pursuit of temporary things like wealth, status, recognition, etc. or the righteousness of God? I can hear some questions such as  - Is it one or the other? Can't one have both? Can't you have wealth and be righteous? 

Interesting questions! First and foremost, the original question deals with the subject of priorities. Priorities indicate order such as order of operations in mathematics. Consequently, two items or operations cannot have the same priority. In this regard, Jesus clearly stated that we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. One may point out - But there are two issues here, the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God. How does this work? Actually, it works quite well because the Kingdom of God is characterised by the righteousness of God. So, there is no ambiguity in what Jesus said. The righteousness of God has to do with the Kingdom of God and vice versa. One cannot be removed or extricated from the other. Where the Kingdom of God is manifested, the righteousness of God prevails. Hallelujah!

This brings me to the main subject matter - the cost of righteousness. In Matthew 5, Jesus said that those who are persecuted for righteousness sake are blessed. That's very interesting because it raises the question - how can persecution bring forth blessings? It seems counter-intuitive given that the general notion about blessings is bliss. Why should we rejoice and be exceedingly glad when we are going through persecution and suffering? In fact, Jesus went on to say that those who are persecuted for righteousness sake have a great reward in Heaven. Why then don't we hear more of this from our pulpits? It seems to me that the rewards in Heaven are far superior in content and quality to the glittering gold of this world. Was Jesus mistaken? Of course, not. He meant every word He spoke and spoke what He meant. 

The Bible says, "Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12, NKJV). It would be fair to say that every believer should seek to live a godly life, one that glorifies God. If that is the case, then we should expect to suffer persecution in one form or another. This is part of the reality of our Christian walk or race. Why then is there so much silence about this reality? The early Christians expected persecution, they rejoiced in it and felt honoured to have had similar experiences to that of Jesus. 

"And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:21-22) 

Paul and Barnabas preached the Gospel after the Jews from Iconium and Antioch "stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead." (Acts 14:19). Was Paul mad? What type of person, after recovering from a horrific stoning a few hours previously, would embark on preaching? Why did Paul say that tribulations were required for entry into the Kingdom of God? Was he a masochist or sadist? Nothing in the Bible suggests that Apostle Paul was deranged or enjoyed either inflicting pain on others or harming himself. Paul was simply acknowledging the uncomfortable truth about the Christian faith and writing to the Corinthian brethren by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he stated:

"We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:8-10, NKJV)

Hardship, persecution, suffering, sacrifice, etc. are things every true Christian should expect in his or her walk with Jesus. I would be a fool not to accept this fact. It is the simple truth but we have to realize that no matter what we have to go through, God will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Rewards await us in Heaven and even here on earth if we persevere and run the Christian race to the end. Our heels may be bruised but the devil is defeated. Jesus said, "... “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.." (Luke 10:18-19)

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Yes, there is a cost for righteousness in this dark world but as we look up to Jesus, our Lord, our Saviour, our King, the Author and Finisher of our faith, we will be empowered to carry on and eventually shall get our reward in Heaven. We will rejoice and be glad for by the grace of God, our lives will glorify God. Be encouraged, my brothers and sisters in the Lord. We have nothing to lose but everything to gain in our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Have a blessed day.