Good Mourning!

Matthew 5:4  Blessed are those who mourn,

  for they shall be comforted.

We will spend the next few days looking at the second beatitude.  This beatitude is linked to the first. We cannot mourn, as Jesus speaks of here, unless we first are poor in spirit.  It is realizing God’s holiness and our lack of it that brings us to that place where we mourn over our sin. 

First – what mourning is not.  It’s not  the definition of mourning that we are most familiar with. Weeping, mourning, and grieving is a part of life.  Everybody, saved and unsaved has experienced it.  Sometimes we mourn over something that has happened to someone else or we mourn over the condition and sins of our nation.  Not much comfort in that, except to know God’s got it all and He knows what He is doing and allowing.

Sometimes we mourn because we can’t have something that we think we should have.  Again, not much comfort in that. In fact, the more we mourn over what we don’t have, the worse we feel.  The mourning that Jesus speaks of here is none of these things.

So, what is it?  What is the mourning that leads to being comforted?  Paul described it.  Let’s look at it.  2 Cor. 7:9-10   Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. [10] For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.

Sorrow, that is godly sorrow, produces repentance.  The repentant heart receives God’s comfort.

It is not those who minimize their sin; it is not those who justify their sin; it is not those who ignore or deny their sin; or put off dealing with their sin, that mourn over their sin.  Therefore, we miss out on God’s blessing, God’s working in our lives, and God’s comfort when we minimize, justify, ignore, deny or put off dealing with our sin. 

What is your tendency?  We all have one.  Do you justify your sin?  Do you ignore it or deny it?  Do you put off dealing with your sin?  Maybe you quickly take the blame to avoid conflict, but you fail to confess your sin before the Lord.  If you asked those closest to you, what would they say?  What do you think you have avoided by not mourning over your sin?

Will you take a moment and bless those who are reading this blog by writing a comment and sharing the blessings you have experienced when you truly mourned over your sin? Let’s encourage one another.  

Love in Jesus,

cathy