Category: Devotional

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Welcome to the second episode in our series on the Beatitudes. If you haven’t listened to Episode 1 yet, I strongly encourage you to go back and start there.
As a quick reminder: Episode 1 was about the condition, being “poor in spirit”. Today, Episode 2 is about the contrition -mourning. And just to spark your interest, Episode 3 will be about control. There’s a beautiful, natural progression: from condition, to contrition, to control. The Beatitudes are widely regarded as the most profound discourse ever delivered — spoken by Jesus of Nazareth Himself.

Matthew 5:4 tells us:
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Mourning is a state of deep grief. It’s the pain we feel when something valuable has been taken from us.
Being blessed is far deeper than simply being happy. The different states Jesus describes in the Beatitudes are all designed to lead us into true, lasting happiness in God’s kingdom. At first glance, mourning and blessing seem completely at odds — a clear dissonance. But remember what we learned in the last episode: the Kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom. Its values are radically different from the ways of this world.
This second blessing flows naturally from the first — the poor in spirit. In this episode, we’ll examine mourning in light of the whole counsel of God.
It’s important to understand that not everyone who mourns will be comforted. The promise belongs to the saved — the citizens of God’s kingdom. Those are the ones who will ultimately have the last laugh.
Listen closely: the mourning and weeping we experience now is time-limited. It is not forever. Jesus makes this clear. Let me paint a helpful picture.
Imagine your entire life — whether 70, 80, or even 90 years — placed against the backdrop of eternity.
That lifetime becomes an almost invisible dot on the timeline. Our season of mourning is confined to this short life.
But for those who trust in Jesus, it is exchanged for an eternity with Him. There will be no more weeping with Him!
Luke 6:21 echoes this theme: “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
The Greek word for “mourn” is pentheo. It means to lament, to mourn, to weep, to feel guilt, or to be deeply sad. Mourning doesn’t always require tears. It can be an inward state of the heart, even completely oblivious to people around.
Now, let’s look at five important contexts where the Bible talks about mourning:

First, mourning over our own sin — displeasing God through our wrongdoing. Genuine spiritual mourning is the work of the Holy Spirit. It’s pure grace and not of anything from us, for we do not have the capacity to turn of our own, to God. True mourning however produces repentance — a change of mind and heart, a hatred for sin, and a turning away from it. As 1 John 3, 9 says, no one born of God makes a practice of sin. Godly sorrow leads to repentance, and believers continue in the posture of repentance daily. Do not, mistake this, the practice of sin is a lifestyle, in sin and calls to question, if we were ever saved in the first place. Repentance is a turning away from sin. The understanding here is of vital importance.

Second, mourning on behalf of others — their sin, rebellion, or folly. Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem… how often I have longed, to gather your children together… but you were not willing.”
We also see this in Ezra 10 where he mourns for the unfaithfulness of the people. Another example is Paul’s deep anguish for his countrymen. In Romans 9,2 and 3, Paul goes to the extent of wishing, that they would be saved even if it meant a risk to his own position in Christ. Proverbs 24, 11 and 12 challenges us powerfully to rescue those heading toward death. This passage left a lasting mark on me, and changed my heart and thinking.

Third, mourning the loss of loved ones, belongings, or what once stood strong. The Bible records set times of mourning for figures like Jacob, Samuel, and Moses. Yet for believers, we do not grieve like the world. We have eternal hope. As 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18 reminds us, death is not the end for those in Christ. However the greatest joy will be beholding our Saviour face to face.
Fourth, and this is especially moving — our Lord Himself wept at the tomb of Lazarus, in John 11:35. The Greek word used in verse 33 and 38 shows He was deeply moved and agitated. Death is His enemy and this stirred emotions of grief and anger. Death was never God’s design for His beloved creation.
Fifthly, we mourn and even fast for the ones dear to us but spiritually lost. Many mourn for their children. Jesus points this out in Luke 23, 28. Friend, God sees our mourning and He graciously answers in His time.

Why does mourning hold such great value in God’s kingdom? Well, these are kingdom values.
For a start, a contrite, mourning heart is an acceptable, sacrifice, to God seen in Psalm 51, 17.
Secondly, mourning sets the stage for restoration of fellowship. Mourning leads to confession and repentance. God then forgives, restores joy, and fellowship. He longs for this. James 4,8 and 9 along with John 16,20 confirm this understanding.
Thirdly, our relationship with God, cannot grow, without it. James 4, 8 and 9 urges us: “Draw near to God… Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter turn to mourning and your joy to gloom.”
Intimacy exposes more of our fallen nature. Closer to Him, brighter the light and more of our dark corners illuminated, that need cleansing. Holiness is being worked out, conforming to the image of Jesus and not to the world. This is how we get set apart, exclusively, for Him.
Fourthly, when we mourn, in loss and suffering, the God of all comfort Himself, brings peace, assurance and hope shown in 2 Corinthians 1, 3 to 5. We can now pass this on! With this comfort we have received, we are blessed. But don’t miss this, we become a blessing, for others, because we can now comfort others with the same comfort we have received from the Lord. Remember we can give because we have received. This is how God’s kingdom operates for now, until every tear is wiped away eventually.

And now, the beautiful promise: Our mourning is temporary. It gives way to joy, comfort, and laughter.
Jeremiah 31,13 declares:
“I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.”
Revelation 21,4 promises:
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Friend, don’t lose the scriptural perspective, your position or His power. So, let me leave you with this word of encouragement from 2 Corinthians 4, 17, and this is the NET translation which reads, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!
Did you see that? All this, far outweighs, the glory awaiting us.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that in Your upside-down kingdom, mourning leads to comfort. Give us tender hearts that mourn over sin — our own and the world’s. Turn our sorrow into joy and use our tears to draw us closer to You and to comfort others. We trust in the hope of eternity with You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Quote

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” — Psalm 126:5

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In a world filled with sermons, teachings, podcasts, and endless spiritual content, it has never been easier, to hear the Word of God. Yet the Scriptures repeatedly warn us that hearing alone is not enough!

Jesus made this distinction crystal clear. He didn’t just teach the Word, He lived it. His very sustenance, His deepest satisfaction, was obedience to the Father. Throughout the Gospels and the New Testament, the Holy Spirit confronts a dangerous misconception: that knowledge without action, or profession without obedience, can somehow please God.

This is the heart of Hear and Adhere, a powerful call to move beyond passive listening into active, wholehearted obedience. The Bible, leaves no room, for comfortable illusions. The one who hears, and does not obey, deceives himself. 

The scriptures use several illustrations, to describe the one who claims to know Christ, but does not keep His commandments. May the following truths from Scripture, awaken in us a fresh hunger, not just to hear the voice of God, but to live it out with surrendered hearts. For in hearing and adhering, we discover, the very food that satisfied Jesus, the foundation that withstands every storm, and the intimate knowledge of God that true love produces.

The Bible repeatedly clarifies misconceptions about true spirituality. It is not merely about knowledge, words, or outward religious activity, but about hearing God’s Word, and actively obeying it.

1. Doing is food!

In the first of these illustrations Jesus, emphasised this truth powerfully, using the metaphor of food as His sustenance.

We read in John 4:34-38, Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not laboured; others have laboured, and you have come into their labor.” 

Jesus found His deepest satisfaction not in physical bread, but in fulfilling the Father’s mission.  Note the detail, – To do His will and finish the work He was entrusted with. Sowing, and reaping for the Kingdom of God, that was part of the task set before Him. Note again here, Jesus said, “I sent you to reap”! The task is again emphasised. Obedience brings eternal fruit and shared joy between sowers and reapers. True spirituality fuels active participation in God’s harvest today.

2. The forgetful man in the mirror.

James 1:22-25 reads, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not just hearers who deceive themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself, and gone away, he has immediately forgotten, what kind of person, he was. But one, who has looked intently at the perfect law, the law of freedom, and has continued in it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an active doer, this person will be blessed, in what he does.”

Mere hearing, leads to self-deception. But intentional, ongoing obedience, to God’s Word, brings blessing, and true transformation.

3. The Wise Build on Solid Foundation.

Matthew 7:24-27 reads, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded, on the rock. But everyone, who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell, and its collapse, was great.”

Storms reveal the foundation. Obedience anchors us in Christ.

4. Obeying His commands, is evidence, of knowing God.

1 John 2:3-6 reads,“By this, we know, that we have come to know Him, if, we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; but whoever follows His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know, that we are in Him: the one who says that he remains in Him, ought himself also to walk just as He walked.”

Claiming to know God without obedience is self-deception. Walking as Jesus walked is the proof of a genuine relationship. Walk, just as He walked, should be echoing in our lives.

5. Loving God, means obeying His commands.

John 14:21 reads,“The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

Obedience is the language of love toward God. It invites deeper intimacy and greater revelation of Christ. Yes, don’t miss this. When we love Him, we obey Him, and when we do that, we see more of Him, and grow in intimacy, with Him.

6. Obedience brings forth fruit.

In John 15:5 we read, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” What is remaining in Him, mean? The answer, lies in a few verses further down, in verse 10 which goes like this, “ If you,, keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept, My Father’s commandments, and remain in His love. 

It is His will that we bear much fruit. This comes by obedience, and no other way. Without obedience you can do nothing of value in His kingdom. Nothing at all!

7. Not Everyone, Who Says “Lord, Lord”, Will Enter.

In Matthew 7:21-23 we read. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one, who does the will, of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many, will say to Me, on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy, in Your name, and in Your name, cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” 

Note, practice lawlessness, or practice sin, or practice disobedience. It is a life-style of disobedience. Seen again in 1John 3:4,6,8,&9.

Impressive works, without an obedient relationship, to the Father, mean nothing, in the end. Don’t be deceived by performance or manifestations. They are not proof for a living, loving, growing, 2-way relationship with God. God needs to know, and recognise His own children, His sheep. His sheep, hear His voice, and these are the ones He knows and saves.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help us not only to hear Your Word, but to adhere to it with wholehearted obedience. Let Your will be our food, Your commands our delight, and our lives unshakeable testimonies of genuine faith. Reveal Yourself, to us as we keep Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Friend, may this reflection, encourage you today to move from simply hearing, to active, joyful adherence, for the glory of God, and the blessing of your life.

Quote

Hearing and adhering – the two strands of the same twine.