Blessedness

 Matthew 5:4 ESV

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.


This verse is completely counterintuitive. We would assume that those who mourn are cursed, not blessed! Jesus seems to declare the opposite of what we might expect.

Blessedness is to be made joyful by God. To mourn is seemingly the opposite. It's as though Jesus is saying 'happy are the sad'!

Jesus's teaching is spiritual. So when he refers to mourning, he's not on about how you feel when your dog dies. He's referring to our sorrow over our sinfulness.

If we hate our sins that grieve Father God, he will comfort us with his forgiveness. God doesn't want to leave us miserable. He wants to bless us.

'Blessed God, please bless us even in spite of our sorrows. May we renounce our sins and live for you alone, for your glory, amen'.

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