Paradigm Shift Ministries

Fall: Week Ten
Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
~ Matthew 5:10 ~

History teaches us that standing up for what is right is not always the most popular thing to do.  From ancient prophets to today’s sincere Christians, bad things happen to good people because of mean-spirited people who equate being good to being weak.  Jesus teaches us that only the spiritually strong can stand for righteousness - to be salt and light.  It is easy to just “go with the flow,” but it is difficult to live life upstream, which is how followers of Christ are called to live.  The world doesn’t like strong people; no matter who you are, all leaders will be shot down by those around you.  But if you hold true to your values and earnestly try to live the life that God called you to live, then the Bible promises us that we will receive a reward in heaven that will be greater than any prize that this world can offer.

The Sermon on the Mount can be summed up by “Christ’s Kingdom First.”  We are called to live for His glory, not ours.  We are not called to follow the crowd but instead to be the salt and light of the earth.  People are supposed to look at us and see Jesus.  What do people see when they look at you?  Does your life reflect the world or the Word?  Are you living for the Kingdom, or are you just trying to get by day by day?

God has a plan for you, but you have to give yourself over to His will.  However, this is not the easy road; you will be persecuted and torn down, but God promises to be there with you no matter how dark the world is around you.  Look at what Jesus went through!  He was brutally beaten and executed even though He committed no crime.  But He conquered death!  He rose from the dead and offers new life to us as well!  God wants to restore us spiritually, but we will have to sacrifice some of our physical comforts in order to receive this new life.  The Bible goes on to say that we should rejoice when we are persecuted!  We must let God shine in our weakness, let His strength carry us when we feel like the world is crashing down around us.  If you can stick it out and live for the Kingdom, then your inheritance will be waiting for you in heaven!

Every year, people throughout the Americas celebrate the time when the Old World met the New World, and Christopher Columbus has the historical embodiment of this time period despite the ongoing controversy that surrounds his legacy.  Columbus was instrumental in opening up the Americas to European influence despite thinking that he has landed in Asia.  Terms like “American Indian” and the “West Indies” are modern reminders of his misbelief.

However, Columbus’ legacy is stained because of how he treated the indigenous peoples that he encountered; his heart was set on making money, and the native people were viewed as tools that he could use to achieve his dreams of wealth and power.  This has led to many Hispanic communities adopting Dia de la Raza (“Day of the Race”) as an alternate celebration in order to commemorate the plurality and unique culture that developed as an outgrowth of the Age of Discovery.

The spirit of the holiday is not meant to be divisive but to be celebratory of  the history of how the New World was opened up to become the world’s melting pot.  We are all free and united today because of the courage of the many explorers that set out to settle in the Americas.  This is not about one man or one race; this is about how we, the free people of the Americas, were given the opportunity to build up our own societies.  Let us, at least for one day a year, come together as one people in remembrance of how we got where we are today.

Labor Day began as a day of celebration of labor organizations and of protest against unfair work conditions; however, today it is not much more than the unofficial end of summer.  Many countries have some sort of labor/workers celebration, but they are generally grounded in radical left-wing political agendas and often become violent.  The American holiday has become summer’s last stand, one last weekend to relax and enjoy before school or business begin to gear up.

I love the laid-back and celebratory feel that Labor Day now has, but I do want to challenge you to not forget why this holiday came to be.  Many people throughout history, and even today, work very hard to ensure that we can live life the way that we do – this day is for them, the hard-working people that quietly go about their business behind the scenes so that others can be free to live their American dream.

Everyone has gifts and talents; everyone has a place that God has prepared for them so that we can all be able to live up to our potential.  So celebrate the little things like waste management and electrical service.  Don’t take these things for granted, for we have been blessed to be able to have them.  And don’t forget the hard-working people who make our these things run; this day is for them.