18 Minutes With JesusSample

In Jesus’s second beatitude, He said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). The Greek word for “mourn” (pentheo) describes those who feel

anguish over a distressing situation, like the death of a loved one.

I know that grief all too well—I’ve mourned the deaths of my parents, as well as many close friends. But I believe something even more painful is losing a loved one through

defection. Their heart turns cold toward you. They leave you.

Maybe you have suffered the loss of a loved one either through death or defection. Jesus was saying, “Blessed are you who weep right now, for one day you will be comforted.”

But Jesus also had in mind those who mourn over their sins. This mourning naturally follows the poverty of spirit. To believe you’re “poor in spirit” is an act of the intellect, agreeing with God’s assessment of who you really are. But to mourn over your failure before God goes much deeper than intellectual agreement about your transgression.

You will never turn from your sin until you are first of all broken over your sin. That’s why to mourn over your sin is an act of the emotions as well as the intellect. This was the case with the apostle Peter. After Peter disowned the Lord three times, “he went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62). The apostle Paul was also deeply remorseful for his sins, saying, “Wretched man that I am!” (Rom. 7:24).

Do you find yourself, like Peter and Paul, reeling over your own sinfulness? Then this beatitude gives you hope! When you turn to the Lord in your mourning and confess your sins to Him, you will receive God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9), and He will comfort you.

In 2 Corinthians 7:10, Paul said, “The sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation.” Godly mourning, or sorrow, for your sin is temporary and leads to repentance.

To those who mourn over sin, Jesus gave this promise: “They shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). No one said it better than David after his sin with Bathsheba: “The sacrifices of

God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51:17).

What is the difference between “feeling guilty” and truly mourning over sin in your life?