Exceedingly Glad Meaning

[Eustacio Gadit]

Ihave some questions for you to meditate on: Have you ever been the constant target of negative and hurtful comments or statements by people such as co-workers, family members and others, and also by members of the church?

Have you been on the receiving end of deliberate lies, untrue gossip or other comments designed to embarrass you and make you look bad in the sight of others, especially when you strive to do the will of God?

If you answered "yes" to any or all of these questions, rest assured, you are not alone. However, there is good news, and that is the word of God from Isaiah 54:17, which states: "No weapon formed against you shall prosper."

Let me attempt to explain somewhat further. The questions that I posed earlier deal with all of us who find ourselves victims of slander or, as the Bible says, reproach. Slander, as defined in the dictionary, means utterance or defamatory statements that are hurtful to the reputation or well-being of a person. Reproach, as it is used in the King James version of the Bible, means almost the exact same thing, but from a biblical standpoint.

For example, during Jesus' famous "Sermon on the Mount," as recorded in St. Matthew Chapter 5, Jesus taught the disciples and others who sat and listened that day by declaring: "Blessed are you when they (meaning the folk we have to deal with today) revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for they (meaning the mean folk in the Old Testament) persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Believe it or not saints: False persecution that is aimed at us actually helps our spiritual lives and makes us stronger in the Lord. How? One, by taking our eyes off the earthly issues, and two, by strengthening our faith as we endure and are brought closer to God, where we can be of greater service to God every day. In other words, what the devil means for bad, God will turn to good, or in our favor!

My parting advice? As one who has been falsely persecuted, even as a minister of the gospel, I say to you that, no matter where you go, or what you strive to do, there will be those folk who will be around to make you detour from what God has called you to do or be.

But as you go forward, remember the powerful words of the Apostle Paul in 1st Corinthians 15:58: "Be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."

Rejoice (chairo) means to rejoice or to be glad. Extent (katho) means according to or in so far as. Partake (koinoneo) means to share or participate, and sufferings (pathema) means suffering, misfortune, or affliction.

Matthew 5: 11 Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Our reward in heaven, our joint inheritance with Christ, the degree of our future glorification, it is all the same and it depends on our joint suffering with Him. We have to pick up cross daily, and deny ourselves, and follow Him. This will involve suffering, but in the midst of it, we have reason to rejoice. The result of suffering with Christ is a rich reward in heaven.

The second fruit of the Spirit is joy. Joy is in the same family of Greek words as grace. This means to me that because we are saved by the underserved grace of God, the joy we experience is non-circumstantial. This does not mean that we are outwardly happy about our circumstances all the time, nor does it mean that we have to walk around with a fake smile. The joy is a constant reminder that regardless of what happens to us in life, our relationship with God should remain strong.

The words be glad mean to be exceedingly glad. The literal meaning is to skip and jump with happy excitement. Jesus used the imperative mood, which makes His words more than a suggestion. We are commanded to be glad. How so? Do you remember the story of the three Hebrew young men who were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace? Their names were Hananiah, Mishsael, and Azariah, whom the king named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Three men! But when the king looked into the furnace, he said:

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In these verses, Jesus is speaking to his disciples and giving them a message of hope and encouragement. He tells them that they will be blessed when they face persecution and false accusations for the sake of following him.

This verse speaks to the reality that following Jesus can be a difficult and challenging path. As followers of Christ, we can expect to face opposition and persecution from the world. However, Jesus reminds us that we are blessed when we face these challenges for his sake. This is because when we face persecution and false accusations, it is a sign that we are standing up for what is right and following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Jesus goes on to tell his disciples to rejoice and be exceedingly glad when they face persecution, because great is their reward in heaven. This means that although we may face difficulty and suffering in this life, our ultimate reward is not found in the things of this world, but in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus also reminds his disciples that they are not alone in their suffering. The prophets who came before them also faced persecution and opposition for their faith. This serves as a reminder that we are part of a long line of faithful followers of God who have faced similar challenges and hardships.

This verse has important implications for us today. It reminds us that as followers of Christ, we can expect to face opposition and persecution from the world. However, we can take comfort in knowing that we are blessed when we face these challenges for his sake. We can also find hope and encouragement in the promise of a great reward in heaven.

This verse also challenges us to examine our own lives and consider whether we are truly following in the footsteps of Jesus. If we are not facing any opposition or persecution for our faith, it may be a sign that we are not standing up for what is right or following Jesus as closely as we should be.

In conclusion, Matthew 5:11-12 is a powerful reminder that following Jesus can be a difficult and challenging path. However, we can find hope and encouragement in the promise of a great reward in heaven. As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for what is right and to be willing to face persecution and opposition for his sake. We can take comfort in knowing that we are part of a long line of faithful followers of God who have faced similar challenges and hardships.

When I was asked as an adoptive mother and foster-care advocate to reflect this season on what it means to be thankful, I had to look up the meaning of thankful. According to Websters Dictionary, it states, conscious of benefit received, expressive of thanks, well pleased: GLAD.

I have had to be intentional about what I am thankful for during this past year. The many experiences missed because of the quarantine. We have all experienced, in one way or another something, that was on the calendar, cancelled. Whether they were vacations, mission trips, sporting events, school, etc. The following verse took on new, applicable meaning for me:

They do not remember the things that I thought were disappointments to them. They remember that they were safe, loved, had plenty to eat. That they had a family for this holiday and every holiday to come. As I read their responses to my question, I hear words that echo the definition of thankful above: conscious of benefit received, expressive of thanks, well pleased, and GLAD!!! Yes, glad!! My heart swells with thanksgiving to God for how He has grown our family through adoption. While it felt imperfect, the gift of time, faithfulness to be present, and love has knit our hearts together to be a family.

Kari is the Missions Pastor at Timberline Church overseeing Global, National and Local Missions for all of their campuses. She and her husband, Jeff have been married for 40 years and have 9 children and 7 grandchildren. As a preachers kid she had the opportunity to have missionaries in her home sharing stories and pictures of orphans that they served. It was then that God planted a seed of being an advocate for the fatherless. God opened the door for them to adopt six of their nine children from the U.S., China, Korea, Haiti and Hong Kong. She is a founding member of a non-profit in Northern Colorado, SERVE 6.8 that focuses on empowering and equipping the church to care for those in need in their community and sits on several boards that focus on serving foster, adoptive and kinship families locally and family preservation models globally.

Those who have been justified have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. As those who stand in the grace of God and rejoice while looking ahead with confidence to the glory of God - we have a different perspective on the struggles of this life.

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:1-4)

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:2-5)

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