Great Is Your Reward
Read Matthew 5:11-12, then fill in the blanks. Jesus said, _______ ____ ____, when men shall revile you,
and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, ______ ____ _____. _______ and
____ ___________ _____: for ________ ___ _____ ______ in _________: for so persecuted they the
prophets which were before you. KJ
For the sake of who, does our persecution come? ___________________ (verse 11)
When we are persecuted for the sake of Jesus Christ we are _______________. (verse 11)
Do you remember what it means to be “Blessed”? Take a moment and write down your definition.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Remember, to be blessed for the sake of Jesus is the equivalent to having God’s kingdom “within our hearts”. When we are blessed, God makes us fully satisfied. We are blessed, not because of our favorable circumstances, but because God indwells in us through Jesus Christ.
In verse 12, Jesus tells us that we should just be glad that we are doing a little suffering for him, right? Of course not! What is it that Jesus says? “R______, and be e________ g____: for great is your r_____ in h_____:” KJ
“To rejoice, in this instance, is related to grace, as if the joy is a direct result of God’s grace. Be exceeding glad ~ ecstatic joy and delight.” The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible
Get the picture? Our human, emotional selves cannot imagine being ‘happy’ over being persecuted. But Jesus says, this joy I speak of is related to God’s grace for you. Wow, how cool is that? And get this part ~ For GREAT is your reward in Heaven!
It’s been several years ago, that my hubby and I were in a foreign land. There I met a little girl, that I wanted very much to bring back home with me. Circumstances did not permit this. But since the day I met her, my hubby and I have faithfully, financially supported her. We have spent time with her when we have traveled back to this foreign land. God has protected her and made provision for her in a wonderful foster care program in her country. The 29th of April 2010, I received a letter from a representative of the Children’s assistance program our little girl is sponsored through. This is an excerpt from that letter.
“Your giving has been so faithful and there is such a need for the Foster Program in …, we are very appreciative of your commitment…Thank you for all these ’years’ and know ‘when the good Shepherd comes, you will get a crown. This crown will be glorious, and it will never lose its beauty.” 1 Peter 5:4 NCV
You know, I have loved that little girl (who isn’t so little now) all these years. I pray everyday for her and her caregivers. I have been awakened out of my sleep with thoughts of her and prayed for her safety and well-being. My hubby and I have faithfully given financially for her care and will continue to do this. I do this, because of my deep love for her, as if she were my own. It is by God’s grace, my little girl and I met that day in an orphanage so far away. It is by God’s grace that she has survived to be where she is today. I deserve no crown for opening my heart.
We deserve no crowns for being persecuted. But, Jesus said, “Be exceedingly joyful because of God’s grace, for great is your reward in heaven ~ you do this for My sake.”
Key #9 to spiritual blessedness is to rejoice and be exceeding glad in your circumstances, for my sake. The gift we receive is reward in heaven.
Thought to Ponder: In everything that you do, that you open your heart to…do it for Jesus sake!
Scripture to Ponder: 1 Peter 5:4
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