Title: Rejoice and Rejoice / Matthew 5:11-12
Rejoice and be glad / Matthew 5:11-12
Key Verse: “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (verse 12).
Word: How bleak would our life be without joy and laughter in life? In Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, it is said that joy (pleasure) is a gift from God. Although there are hardships and difficulties in our lives, God has given us joy as a gift so that we can endure well and overcome. The Lord said in the Bible today, “Rejoice and be glad.” It's not about rejoicing and rejoicing once, but rejoicing and living happily ever after.
Because we are blessed (verse 11). We are already blessed. We have received eternal life and we have received the hope of heaven. We are living the life that the Lord overcame through the cross, free of charge. That's why he said we are blessed.
Rejoice and rejoice. Because our reward is great in heaven (verse 12). If you live in a rented apartment and have an apartment to move in soon, the current hardships are not hardships. The prize in heaven cannot be compared to the apartment in our neighborhood. A huge prize awaits us. Even if it hurts a little, be patient. Fish can swim far when there is resistance to the current. The trials of our faith make us people of perseverance (James 1:3).
The phrase “the prophets also suffered persecution” at the end of verse 12 seems irrelevant. However, this means that the prophets also suffered persecution, but later they were recognized by God and became victors. If we endure like that, we too become winners. When suffering overflows, the comfort of heaven overflows (2 Corinthians 1:5).
You must yield your seat to the elderly or people with disabilities on trains and buses. But there are places we must never yield. It is a ‘place of joy’. Don't give up the place of joy for the slightest sorrow. Like bubble gum that children put in their mouths to chew and blow, small joys should be appreciated and expanded into great joys. And we have to show people our joy. Joy or pleasure is also contagious. Today, let's spread my joy to the people around us, to our neighbors, to our families. Because we are blessed.
Prayer: Claim our hearts so that we do not lose joy in any circumstance, anytime, anywhere. We pray in the name of our Lord. Amen.
Lord's Prayer