Jesus told his disciples that they would be in the world but not of the world. And this would not be an easy place to be. He said that they would face many persecutions. Persecution means “the infliction of pain, punishment or death upon others unjustly, particularly for adhering to a religious creed or mode of worship, either by way of penalty or for compelling them to renounce their principles.” To follow Jesus means that you will experience persecution. Living as a Christian is not easy, mainly because you stand as the antithesis of much of what the world stands for. You will experience penalties for trying to follow Jesus. Some may try to compel you to renounce our principles. Hopefully, this is not by force but there are fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that are experiencing physical pain and death at the hands of the world. Like Jacob, we must arise and go. We are sheep in the midst of wolves so we need to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Though the wolves are hungry we must go. What does that look like in your life? Maybe that means sharing the gospel with the neighbor next door. Maybe it means you homeschool your children. Maybe you hold a sign outside Planned Parenthood. Maybe it means sharing the gospel with a fellow employee. Maybe it is in loving your wife as Christ loved the church or giving honor to your husband and not talking bad about him when other wives talk bad about their husbands. Maybe it is being an employee that goes above and beyond what is requested. We will meet persecution if we are obedient to Christ. When God blesses his children, his children live differently and speak differently, and this the world hates. If you are not a Christian, then all of this probably seems either scary or ridiculous. I understand that. The Bible makes it clear that only those whom God has chosen to reveal these things to will understand and embrace this. If you want to know God and to know why people willingly go through this then ask God to open your eyes. Ask God to change you, to make you believe. He has promised that all those that come to him he will not cast out. So come to him today.