DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 | DAY 9 | DAY 10 | DAY 11 | DAY 12 | DAY 13
Rejoice!
“I’m a crash “exerciser”. I’ll be really devoted to working out till I’ve done just enough to be happy with how I feel then my desire to exercise will slowly fade until I begin to feel bad again. Then I repeat the cycle. The reason for this is I don’t really want to be healthy, I just don’t want to feel bad. I think sometimes we can have the same attitude towards our relationship with God.
Sometimes we do things because we know we are supposed to, not because we necessarily have this desire in our hearts to honor God. The problem is when we face opposition, we are more likely to give up and end up missing out on something much greater on the other side of the opposition Galatians 6:9 tells us to not grow tired of doing good because what we sow, we will reap. If we do things in our fleshly desires, we will reap the consequences if we do things in the spirit, we will reap the benefits. If I don’t go to the gym my pants will get tighter. If I go to the gym my whole body will be healthier. But there is this constant battle. Because doing the right thing is hard. There is always opposition to doing the right thing. When you’re at the gym you’re pushing your body to get stronger which will result in muscle fatigue and soreness. But these things last only for a little bit and what is found on the other side is something much better. When we are doing things for God there is going to be opposition both internally from the fleshly desires and externally from those around us.
In our verse today Jesus tells us to Rejoice when we face opposition from those around us on account of Christ because what is on the other side is something much better.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:11-12[/perfectpullquote]
This word ‘rejoice’ means exceedingly glad. Which at first doesn’t make sense because why would pain and trouble be something that we should be glad about. It’s because of what waits for us on the other side of that pain. This verse is at the end of the section of scripture called the Beatitudes. Where Jesus spells out what attitudes his followers are to have. The thing is, embracing these attitudes will create opposition. But what these things lead to is a reward in heaven, and a life that honors God and is filled with the depth of his presence.
I’ve heard people say things like man what a great workout I’m so sore! This is great! They are not excited because they are sore, they are excited because they know what that pain will lead to. That’s how we should be in our relationship with Christ. We can Rejoice when we face persecution because of our relationship with Christ, because we know we are on the path to spiritual maturity, because we know what this pain will lead to.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]James 1:2-4: 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, [a] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.[/perfectpullquote]What enduring opposition leads to is a deeper more authentic relationship with God. One that honors him and reaps both a heavenly reward and the blessings of a mature faith, one lived in deep fellowship with God. We would do well to remind ourselves of that the next time we are faced with opposition due to our faith. That the persecution is temporary but the reward that awaits us is great.
-Adam Deering
Download the pdf for each devotion
DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3| DAY 4| DAY 5| DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8| DAY 9 | DAY 10 | DAY 11| DAY 12| DAY 13