"Blessed are those...."

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." - Matthew 5:10-12

When Jesus went up on the mountain to teach, he opened by saying how blessed we are if we are peacemakers, meek, merciful, pure in heart. But, Jesus ends it by saying that we are blessed if we are persecuted for righteousness sake. Rejoice and be glad?? How can I do that when the world wants Christianity to be silent while other groups are pushing their agenda on us on a daily basis. 

As, you know by now, a well-known Christian, due to his TV show, was suspended indefinitely from filming due to remarks on his beliefs about homosexuality. His remarks have been turned into "hatred" toward a particular community; however, this was not Phil Robertson's intent, at all. If you read his comments, he does paraphrase scripture from I Corinthians 6:9-10, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 

If you have ever watched Duck Dynasty, you know the Robertson family are Christians and God believers. So, why are we surprised Phil believes homosexuality is a sin, along with other things listed there? The ones who are speaking out against him, more than likely, do not watch the show because of his Christian beliefs; yet, they are the same ones shutting him down. 

Phil, as a Christian, understands he will persecuted for Christ's sake. He also understands that we are blessed when people speak evil things against the Christian faith, because our "reward is great in Heaven." Do you think he is upset about being suspended? If I had to guess, I would say no because he is not going to compromise his beliefs in God to be on a television show. 

Here was Phil's response to the comments he made: 

“My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.” 

I support Phil Robertson. I am a Christian and believe in God. I believe in His word and the power it has to save mankind. Each one of us should have that mission mindset to Go Forth and tell people about the love of Christ. Not in hatred but in love. 

Romans 3:23 tells us that we all fall short of the glory of God due to our sin. The beauty of Christianity is that we are all sinners, but we strive daily to not live in sin.

Have a blessed day!