Happy are those who have been persecuted (Matthew 5:10–12)

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Yomelijah

4 min readDec 13, 2022

“10 “Happy are those who have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake, since the kingdom of the heavens belongs to them.
11 “Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. 12 Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great in the heavens; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you” (Matthew 5:10–12).
How to find joy in the midst of personal trials? The apostle Paul wrote that we must follow the pattern of Jesus Christ: “So, then, because we have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also throw off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, as we look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus. For the joy that was set before him he endured a torture stake, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Indeed, consider closely the one who has endured such hostile speech from sinners against their own interests, so that you may not get tired and give up” (Hebrews 12:1–3).
Jesus Christ drew the energy of his endurance in the trials, by the joy of the hope that was set before him. It is important to draw energy to fuel our endurance, through the “joy” of our hope of everlasting life set before us. As for our trials, Jesus Christ said that we must solve them day by day: “On this account I say to you: Stop being anxious about your lives as to what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your bodies as to what you will wear. Does not life* mean more than food and the body than clothing? Observe intently the birds of heaven; they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth more than they are? Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span? Also, why are you anxious about clothing? Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, how they grow; they do not toil, nor do they spin; but I tell you that not even Solʹo·mon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. Now if this is how God clothes the vegetation of the field that is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much rather clothe you, you with little faith? So never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to wear?’ For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:25–32). The principle is simple, we must use the present to solve our problems which arise as they come, trusting in God, to help us find a solution: “Keep on, then, seeking first the Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you. So never be anxious about the next day, for the next day will have its own anxieties. Each day has enough of its own troubles” (Matthew 6:33,34). Applying this principle, will help us to better manage mental or emotional energy to deal with our daily problems. Jesus Christ advises against excessive, even morbid anticipation of the problems or trials, that could clutter our minds and take away all spiritual energy from us (Compare with Mark 4:18,19).

The teaching of Jesus Christ that leads to spiritual maturity
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 to 7)
English: http://www.yomelyah.com/437426849
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The prophecy of Daniel:
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Zechariah’s prophecy:
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To read the whole article “Good things to come”:

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/436586396

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To read the whole article of “Why did God allow suffering and wickedness?”, please choose your preferred language, below:

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/435935499

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