“Be happy and glad” [Matthew 5:12(GNB)]

“Be happy and glad”. Christ’s desire for His followers is that they should be happy and glad. The cause and quality of this happiness is different from that of the world. Many things in this world make a person happy, yet it is limited and transient.
The followers of Jesus risk insult, persecution and evil lies about them. Viewed in the light of God’s purposes in Christ, who also suffered unjustly, these are indications of a great God-given reward and therefore the cause for great joy.
An early example of that joy was Paul and Silas singing praises in the Philippi jail. Modern instances may be seen in the lives of the persecuted church in the twenty-first century. Whether subjected to little or much persecution for Christ – rejoice and be glad.