Reward = Heaven!

For Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Matthew 5:12 NIV: “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus is wrapping up the Beatitudes, from his Sermon on the Mount, acknowledging that loving the Lord may not be the most popular position when judged by the world. Old Testament prophets were persecuted. Jesus himself was railroaded to the cross. Religious prejudice continues nowadays, affecting each of us in some way.

The human mind is surprisingly fragile. If a few people poke fun at someone, in no time at all that person can feel like the whole world is out to get them! Jesus wants to lift them out of this funk; Jesus wants to give them hope! Of course our hope, our reward, is heaven, life after this life in the presence of God the father.

When farmers used animals to plow their fields, the animal could easily be distracted and meander down the field. The solution was ‘blinders,’ flaps alongside their eyes, preventing peripheral vision distractions. In the same way, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus, focusing on the prize, and not get caught up in worldly distractions. Let go of circumstances. Focus on things of substance, things of eternal significance.

Your reward awaits! Jesus said so!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406