{"id":15384,"date":"2025-02-14T14:04:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T19:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/?p=15384"},"modified":"2025-02-17T14:14:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T19:14:42","slug":"rejoice-be-glad","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/15384\/rejoice-be-glad\/","title":{"rendered":"Rejoice & Be Glad!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, John.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I read the print-out from this morning\u2019s fireside chat, \u201cThe Reproach of His Glory\u201d.*\u00a0The scriptures there reminded me of an encouraging experience from Jesus that I cherish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These are some of the scriptures from Luke 6: \u201cBlessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you, and revile and cast out your name as evil for the sake of the Son of man.\u00a0\u00a0Rejoice in that day, and dance! Behold, your reward is great in heaven!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is the testimony.\u00a0\u00a0It was October,\u00a02012.\u00a0\u00a0Tom & I were on our way to a get-together at your house.\u00a0\u00a0We had just moved here.\u00a0\u00a0A loved one\u00a0of ours,\u00a0who had the holy Ghost and had a place in the hearts of God\u2019s people, had gone out into the world to marry a man who cared nothing for Jesus. This day was their wedding day.\u00a0\u00a0I felt the heaviness that often comes along with feeling the pain of a wayward soul, and I said to Tom; \u201cI just can\u2019t get a hold of that scripture about \u2018rejoice and be glad.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0I wish I could feel that, but I just can\u2019t grasp it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We then turned on the latest meeting music CD, dated September, 2012, and the first song began: \u201cDo you have your wedding invitation\u2026.to that marriage supper in the sky!?\u201d Quite suddenly, I laughed & said, \u201cI got it!!\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I was thrilled to have that special, outstanding feeling that I did not cause to happen.\u00a0\u00a0I could not cause that joy to come upon me! Jesus did it in his mercy & kindness.\u00a0\u00a0It was thrilling & quite memorable, even to this day.\u00a0\u00a0It is one more reminder of what Jesus can do.\u00a0\u00a0He rescues us from our own thoughts & feelings & gives us joy.\u00a0\u00a0Woohoo!<\/span>
\nSuzi<\/span><\/p>\n

===<\/p>\n

The Reproach of His Glory<\/span><\/p>\n

O sons of man, how long will my glory be a reproach?\u00a0\u00a0Y<\/em>ou love strife;\u00a0y<\/em>ou seek after a lie!\u00a0 Selah.<\/span><\/p>\n

Psalm 4:2<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0When Israel\u2019s prophet and king David, and \u201call the house of Israel\u201d, brought the ark of God into Jerusalem, trumpets sounded and everyone was happy.\u00a0 David was so full of joy that he danced before all the people as the ark proceeded toward the tent he had prepared for it.\u00a0 David\u2019s soul was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of having God\u2019s ark with him in Jerusalem.\u00a0 With his whole body and soul, David was saying to all the people, \u201cPraise Him with a blast of a shofar!\u00a0 Praise Him with harp and lyre!\u00a0 Praise Him with timbrel and dance!\u00a0 Praise Him with strings and flute!\u00a0 Praise Him with clashing cymbals!\u00a0 Praise Him with crashing cymbals!\u00a0 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!\u00a0 Hallelujah!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Unfortunately, there was one that day who did not join the king in his joy, for David\u2019s wife, \u201cMichal, the daughter of Saul, looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and whirling before Jehovah, and she despised him in her heart.\u201d\u00a0 The glory of God that David was feeling was contemptible to her, and she reproached him for it: \u201cHow the king of Israel was glorified today, who exposed himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his slaves, like one of the worthless men who shamelessly expose themselves!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0When those who do not love God see the glory of God on His people, they despise it as if it is something shameful, and they will speak evil of both it and the people on whom that glory rests.\u00a0 But David\u2019s response to his wife\u2019s reproach is an example for us all.\u00a0 He did not back up an inch.\u00a0 He said to her, \u201cYes, I played before the Lord!\u00a0 And I will be more contemptible than this!\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Among the many riches of the kingdom of God is one which we often try to avoid, though we are exhorted to gladly receive it: the reproach of Christ.\u00a0 Are we rich in that?\u00a0 Moses \u201cesteemed the reproach of Christ to be greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked ahead to the reward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0Consider the value of the reproach of Christ, and do not flinch when God uses the world to heap it upon you.\u00a0 Be like David, and tell those who despise the glory of God, \u201cI will be more contemptible than that!\u201d\u00a0 In other words, \u201cI will rejoice in the glory of God more than that!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Luke 6<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \u201cBlessed\u00a0are y<\/em>ou when men hate\u00a0y<\/em>ou and when they exclude\u00a0y<\/em>ou, and revile and cast out your name as evil for the sake of the Son of man.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. Rejoice in that day, and dance!\u00a0 Behold,\u00a0y<\/em>our reward is great in heaven!\u00a0 For their fathers used to do such things to the prophets.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Hebrews 13<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Wherefore, Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate.<\/span><\/li>\n
    2. So then, let us go to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      1Peter 4<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. If\u00a0y<\/em>ou are being reviled for the name of Christ,\u00a0you are <\/em>blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon\u00a0y<\/em>ou.\u00a0 On their part, he is blasphemed, but on\u00a0y<\/em>our part, he is glorified.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        jdc<\/span><\/p>\n

        Tell Us what you think:<\/span><\/p>\n

        https:\/\/x.com\/WitnessofSpirit\/status\/1891566263542903224<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Good morning, John.\u00a0 I read the print-out from this morning\u2019s fireside chat, \u201cThe Reproach of His Glory\u201d.*\u00a0The scriptures there reminded me of an encouraging experience from Jesus that I cherish.\u00a0 These are some of the scriptures from Luke 6: \u201cBlessed are you when men hate you and when they exclude you, and revile and cast […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15384","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15384"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15389,"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15384\/revisions\/15389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pastorjohnshouse.com\/mailbag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}