Rejoice! That seems obvious. Why wouldn't we want to be excited and celebrate!? There's interesting context to Jesus' command for us to "rejoice" at the end of the beatitudes. Matthew 5:11-12 says "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Basically we are to rejoice when we are being persecuted for following Jesus. Again I go back to the comment that following Him requires action. You won't be persecuted for holding a belief that you don't make known by word or deed. However, if you are making the gospel known or standing up for something in the name of Jesus, you stand to be persecuted. So much of the world doesn't like what God desires for us to be and do. Jesus says that the world will hate us because they hated Him (John 15:18). All that to say that God assumes we will be persecuted for following Him. And when that happens, REJOICE that we face that trial because of our standing in the Kingdom!
Think of the apostle Paul and Silas singing hymns to God in prison at midnight (Acts 16:25). Think of the apostles "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." after being flogged by order of the Sandhedrin (Acts 5:41). That's what it's all about! We can rejoice because we know who we suffer for and with whom we'll spend eternity! Amen!!!
Up next: Jesus' Command #4 - Let Your Light Shine
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