“It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher” (Matthew 10:25)

Christ said, “Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets” (Luke 6:22-23).

If you’re going to be a follower of Christ, you must be prepared to be hated, suffer persecution, and be judged as evil for Christ’s sake. You must expect to be persecuted for the same reasons He was persecuted. Whatever sinners did to Christ, they’ll do to you.

When people who wanted to be his disciples came to Him, He told them to count the cost: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39).

If you’re saved, you’ll be able to handle persecution, because you were “buried with Him through baptism into death … knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him” (Romans 6:3-6). Saints are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

“When you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:20-21).

.