Bless Those Who Persecute You

First15 Devotional

First15

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2023

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the middle of our week on the marks of a true Christian, today we’re looking at Paul’s command to bless those who persecute you. Truly blessing those around us that seem to be against us is an incredible act of love, producing fruit not only in the lives of others, but in our lives as well. May God give us insight into his heart for this command today, as well as the courage to live it out.

Our Scripture for today comes from Romans 12:14, and today's worship is Love is a Miracle by Maverick City.

Thanks for listening to today’s podcast.

As challenging as it may be, look for an opportunity to bless someone who seems to be against you today. Give them a gift, ask them a meaningful question, look for a way to add value and meet needs in their life. And watch as an act of love carries the power to change the very nature of a perspective, and even a relationship.

Make sure to rate and review the podcast today and subscribe if you haven’t already.

Have a wonderful rest of your day, and may God bless you as you seek him.

Transcript

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0:00.0	In the middle of our week on the marks of a true Christian, today we're looking at Paul's
0:11.0	command to bless those who persecute you. Truly blessing those around us that seem to
0:17.2	be against us is an incredible act of love, producing fruit not only in the lives of others,
0:24.4	but in our lives as well. May God give us insight into his heart for this command today,
0:30.9	as well as the courage to live it out. Welcome to the first fifteen podcasts.
0:43.3	Think back on unresolved conflict you've had, maybe a friend, spouse, family member or
0:48.8	coworker wronged you. Reflect on the anger, frustration, and sense of injustice you felt.
0:55.5	Maybe you still feel those feelings today when you remember the situation. Conflict without grace
1:02.4	and forgiveness is like a small hole in the fabric of our emotions that seem to tear larger and
1:09.3	larger with every passing day. The more we play the scenario over our inner heads, the worse it seems
1:16.3	to get. The feelings of unforgiveness and the need for fairness carry with them, an increasingly
1:24.0	heavy burden. And the Bible teaches us that unforgiveness and seeking fairness are weights we were never
1:31.8	intended to bear. Jesus completely turned our system of fairness on its head in Luke 6, 27-31. He
1:41.2	said, but I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who
1:48.3	curse you, pray for those who abuse you, to the one who strikes you on the cheek, offer him the
1:54.5	other also. And from the one who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either,
2:01.2	give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back.
2:08.8	And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them. The way of God is grace-filled,
2:17.0	unconditional love, not fighting for what you feel owed. Jesus himself did not count equality
2:24.0	with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant,
2:30.0	being born in the likeness of men, and being found in human form. He humbled himself by becoming
2:36.4	obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Jesus chose to never reciprocate the
	...

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