Devotionals

Home Devotionals March 19 - Expecting Verbal Insults

March 19 - Expecting Verbal Insults

A devotional by Grace To You for reading on March 19th

“‘Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me’” ( Matthew 5:11 11 Blessed are ye when `men' shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. ).

Beyond physical persecution, Jesus encouraged believers with blessing for having insults cast against them. The Greek word for “insult” carries the idea of reviling, upbraiding, or serious insulting. To insult someone is to throw abusive words in the face of an opponent, to mock viciously.

To be an obedient citizen of the kingdom is to court verbal abuse and reviling. As He stood before the Sanhedrin after His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was spat upon, beaten, and taunted with the words, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?” (Matt. 26:68). As He was being sentenced to crucifixion by Pilate, Jesus was again beaten, spit upon, and mocked, this time by the Roman soldiers ( Mark 15:19 19 And they smote his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him. –20).

Faithfulness to Christ may even cause friends and loved ones to say things that cut and hurt deeply. But remember, it is clear that the hallmark of a blessed person is righteousness. Holy living is what provokes persecution of God’s people. Such persecution because of a righteous life is joyous.

Make sure you are doing all you can to live faithfully for Christ.

Ask Yourself

How would you define the joys and blessings that flow from being misunderstood and mistreated? What do we unwittingly choose to miss by responding to the words, actions, and demeaning looks of persecution with anger, bitterness, hate, retaliation, or any other less-than-godly reaction?

Additional Resources

The content above belongs exclusively to Grace To You - Daily Readings and is provided on HopeLife.org for purely non-profit purposes to help extend the reach of their ministry.