“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you…on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven…” – Matthew 5:11-12 (ESV)
It may be hard for you to conceive that you can be persecuted and prosecuted for promoting the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ in your sphere of influence, but like Christ before us, we will face fiery trials and testing of our faith. We may have already experienced betrayal from those whom we hold near and dear to our heart, those family members and brethren of the household of faith who assassinate our character with the hope of gaining some earthly reward. But I encourage you today to rejoice, for you will receive your blessing.
Brethren, it is hard to fathom that whenever we face persecution for righteousness sake, God is saying that we are blessed because we are storing up our rewards in heaven. His command is to rejoice. This strategy hurts the enemy since the intent of the enemy is to inflict great emotional, spiritual, and physical pain on us, with the hope that we become bitter and resentful and altogether abandon our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we rejoice, we not only inherit His glory, but over time, God puts our foolish enemies to shame (Psalm 35:26). When we rejoice, the presence of God is magnified in and through our lives.
The biblical definition of the term rejoice means ‘a call to Joy’ and is often used as a salutation. It is not dependent on whether you have acquired wealth, attained some professional status, and/or passed some academic examination. In rejoicing, we are utilising a fruit of the Spirit (Joy), and it is an act of worship to God. It should never be equated with the fleshly concept of happiness, which involves positive emotions and life satisfaction. Philippians 4:4 (NKJV) also reminds us, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!”
Friends, God expects us to love our enemies. In Romans 12:20 (NASB), the Word of God commands, “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” In addition, Luke 6:27-28 (NIV) admonishes us to “…Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you…”. These we do without expecting anything back, then our reward will be great, and we will be children of the Most High.
Never forget that it was His deep Love and healthy desire for Forgiveness that drove Jesus to the cross for us (mankind). Rejoice in your blessings!
Read: Luke 6:35; 2 Timothy 3:12Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 45:1-9; Luke 15; Deuteronomy 19; Deuteronomy 20
