Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Matthew 5:12

There is great hope and joy in the text. Jesus says great is your reward in Heaven. There is a reward stored up for us in glory for our faithfulness and loyalty to the Saviour.

To suffer for Christ is a great privilege. To serve Him on earth till God takes us to Heaven is the reason His people are on earth. Our purpose is to preach the truth of God, teach the whole counsel of God, and reach the lost with the Great News of forgiveness and salvation through the cross of Christ. In Heaven, we will be with the saints of the church and the Old Testament prophets who went before us. The Beatitudes give us the attributes of the child of God. There is an occurring theme of righteousness and joy because of Christ.

The reward that awaits believers in Heaven is not mentioned by Jesus. He wants us to labour for His truth without us knowing what the reward is. God wants His people to focus on serving Him and working for the Kingdom without a knowledge of the future blessings. He does not want us to have the wrong motive by knowing the reward. Nevertheless, great is your reward in Heaven says, Jesus. Whatever it may be the believer will not be disappointed.

The Christian life on earth is no bed of roses. It is hard and difficult to be faithful to Christ in this ever-growing secular world. Christians are ostracised in large sections of society. May I encourage you to take heart and be of good cheer because no matter what the world throws at us, Christ is still Lord and King? Remember this, for the Christian this world is the worse it will ever get. For the non-believer, this world is the best it will ever get.

Heaven is the home of the people of God. Hell is the destiny for the ungodly. John Bunyan said that Christians are pilgrims and foreigners passing through this world on our way to another kingdom, a better kingdom, and a heavenly kingdom. Set your mind on things above not on the things of the earth. Live each day with eternity in mind.

Acknowledgement: This devotional was sourced from:https://www.puritanboard.com/ams/rejoice-and-be-exceeding-glad.44/