Rejoice - Matthew 5:12

"Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

How counter-intuitive is it to rejoice in the face of suffering! The previous verse gives the context - when people are mean to me because I love Jesus. This is the suffering that should move me to rejoice.

I didn't want to stop and write about this. I can't escape, though, that this is a command. Rejoice! Be exceedingly glad!

The pursuit of joy is something I know well. And, in my experience, it comes when I know who and Whose I am.

Maybe this is God's message to me:

It's time to return to joy. Put away the sadness and suffering you are experiencing. Remember that I've got you and I will not let you fall.

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