Devotionals by Raul Ries

FRIDAY October 2, 2026

Blessed Are the Persecuted

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10

When we suffer persecution, we will have to make some very important decisions, just like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German Lutheran pastor and theologian. When Hitler took over Germany, Bonhoeffer had to make up his mind on what he would do. In a radio address on February 1, 1933, two days into Hitler’s regime, Bonhoeffer warned his fellow Germans not to listen to Hitler’s deranged beliefs. He described Hitler what he stood for as nothing more than an idolatrous cult.

The Nazi regime persecuted Bonhoeffer by banning him from public speaking, and to avoid the draft, his friends urged him to leave the country. So he fled to New York City, but the Holy Spirit convicted him to go back to Germany to assist the pastors and the church. He prayed and then got on the last ship home before WWII erupted arriving late July or August in 1939. He proclaimed the Gospel and resisted the evil regime, but on April 5, 1943, the Gestapo arrived at his home and arrested him.

After reading Peter's letters, I guarantee you that Bonhoeffer read 1 Peter and 2 Peter and studied carefully what was written because persecution and prosecutions were happening in Germany. Eventually, on April 9, 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was convicted, and the Nazis hung him. But Bonhoeffer still lives today through his writings and his books. He wrote a book called Bonhoeffer's Prison Letters. If you can, get this book; you will be amazed. Another classic book that he wrote was The Cost of Discipleship––a must read!

Listen, there may come a time when you will be challenged and tried for your faith. You may even be asked to deny Jesus Christ, and it will test your faith to see if you really are a believer. As we continue to study Peter’s letters, you will be equipped to cope under distressing times of oppression and persecution when they come.

After he has been following Christ for a long time, the disciple of Jesus will be asked, "Lacked ye anything?" and he will answer "Nothing, Lord." How could he when he knows that despite hunger and nakedness, persecution and danger, the Lord is always at his side?
~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!