“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (See Matthew 5:10) It’s been said before – maybe in one of these devotionals – that being a Christian is no cake walk. Just because we serve an invincible God doesn’t mean we’re bulletproof. That’s why He’s on the throne and we’re the royal subjects at His feet. Subjects, employees, benefactors really. We will toil on this earth, walk it, preach His name on it, do our thing for His glory (hopefully) and it may seem we never see anything but a steady stream of beatdowns from secular society while we do all that – to the layman’s untrained eye. Those on the outside looking in will think, “Man, that person has to be miserable.” But, we know that’s not the case. We know the Kingdom is here and now as well as in the future. The verse says that blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN – not “theirs will be.” We’re livin’ it baby! And in such, we have joy when others bring the pain. Does it hurt? Sure, sometimes physically, but to spiritual beings in a temporary body we know it’s just temporary.