"Rejoice and Be Glad"

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11 ESV)

Have you ever met someone and, after speaking with them for a minute or two, there was something about them that made you uncomfortable? Their demeanor, attitude, or the way they presented themselves had an ever-so-slight air of darkness. There was no light, and while you could not be sure, it seemed they were missing the light of the Lord.

As Christians, we let the light of God shine through us. In Matthew 5:15, Jesus said, “Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.” I think most of us can tell someone knows the Lord. Perhaps it is in their smile, their greeting, or the way you are made to feel welcome. Most likely, it is the light that emanates from them, the Light of the Lord.

In the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-11), Jesus turned upside down the idea of who would be blessed and who would not. First-century Jews believed that if you were poor, sick, crippled, or anything else but at the bottom of society, you were a sinner and not worthy of God. Jesus said just the opposite.

Today, Christian beliefs are despised. Our thoughts on the sanctity of life, morality, hope, and God are rejected. Yet it is a necessary rejection. The happenings of the world are pointing to or reminding us of the Second Coming of Jesus. There are people who you may not have seen or spoken to in years who despise you, and you may not know why. Some people despise you in secret, wishing ill will upon you, and some people will openly confront you because of Jesus. Your own family may fight you on everything because Christ lives in you.

Jesus tells us today that if any of this is the case, you are blessed. Things will get worse, society, the disruptions, and the separation in families will intensify. But friend, if you know Jesus as your Savior, you are blessed. As Paul said to the Philippians, “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (3:14), and so must you.

Jesus knows the hearts of all men. Never let your heart stray from the Lord. Yes, we will fall into sin, but a repentant heart seeks forgiveness and reconciliation for our transgressions. In your salvation, you received a new heart, a heart of flesh. Gone is the heart of stone. The Lord lives in you; let the Light shine from you despite the repercussions. The longer you walk with Jesus, the more you are transformed into His image. Like Him, in His image of love, forgiveness, obedience, and devotion, others will shun you or worse. But remember, this is a sign of your transformation, a hopeful reminder of the work God is doing in you.

The other side of this situation is that those God is calling will seek you. They will seek you because they see the Light of the Lord in you. You are a beacon in the darkness. The more who turn to Christ, the greater the light becomes until the darkness can no longer overcome it.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, seek Him now. If you feel the pull towards Him, run to Him; He has already started running to you. This is not a suggestion, but a call to action, a reminder of the urgency and importance of seeking Jesus in your life.

Grace and Peace.