Too Distracted to Mourn

{Matthew 5:4; ESV}

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

I think many Americans live in a fantasy world. Because we have enjoyed such a high standard of living in the United States we have been able to be free from many of the world’s troubles. We don’t know what it is like to live in extreme poverty and to hungry most of the time.

Not only are we insulated from many of the harsh realities that many other people deal with on a constant basis, many of us are consumed with another life. Not the true eternal life that we receive from Jesus, but the fantasy life of sports, TV shows, video games, and even politics. These things blind us from the reality of the world around us and therefore we are clueless about what life in a fallen sinful world is really like.

I am currently doing a sermon series through the Sermon on the Mount. Last week I preached part 1 on the beatitudes, a sermon I entitled “Proper Citizens” as we looked at the 8 virtues that need to be present in the life of a citizen of God’s Kingdom.

Right now I am in the process of preparing for part 2, a sermon I have entitled “Kingdom Blessings” as we will look at the eight blessings promised to the citizens of Heaven. As I was doing my study today I read this passage from Leon Morris’ commentary on Matthew:

Perhaps we should bear in mind that typically the worldly take a lighthearted attitude to the serious issues of life, a fact that is very evident in our pleasure-loving generation. In there seeking after self-gratification and pleasure they do not grieve over sin or evil. Because they do not grieve over what is wrong in themselves, they do not repent; and because they do not grieve over the wrong they share with others in the communities in which they live, they take few steps to set things right. (The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Gospel According to Matthew; p. 97)

It is so easy to allow these pleasures to consume our lives and to distract us from the reality of life, and in the end we are not people who are mourning over the sin in our lives, the sin in our communities, or the evil that is rampant in the world. We push from our minds the images of starving children, the disfigured bodies of those people in war zones, or the faces of drug addicts right around the corner. As a result we are not crying out to God in repentance for mercy, healing, and help. We are doing nothing except sitting on the couch catching the next episode of American Idol and talking about who is going to win The Super Bowl.

If we are going to be people who are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven then we need to be people who mourn, who cry over the sin and evil this world. This isn’t about being sad and depressed all the time, rather it is about living a life of repentance and joining God in bringing His Kingdom rule into this world. It is about taking time to pray about the issues that are on your heart, it is about being generous with the blessings God has given to you, and it is about becoming active in this world.

We live in a world that is messed up and where a lot of people are hurting. We may not be able to change the world, but we can do something that will bring a little light and love into the life of another person. May we be people who mourn over the broken nature of this world and who are confident that one day God will make everything right.

Caring For Our Hearts

Originally posted Thursday March 31, 2005

John Eldredge in The Journey of Desire wrote:

"I believe we must add two spiritual disciplines to everyday life. The first is worship. We must adore God deliberately, regularly. The other is grief. We must allow a time for sorrow to do our personal sowing (Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6; NIV). I see no other way to care for our hearts." 

We take our hearts for granted. That is true whether I am talking about our physical heart which pumps blood though out our body or the spiritual heart that is the seat of our emotions and thoughts. Physically we, as a culture, get far too little exercise and eat way too much. Spiritually we are good at studying and learning about God, but we often don't take the time to worship Him.

As I reflect on my life I know this to be so. My quiet time is dominated with reading, with some prayer, but no worship. I don't mean singing, but rather acknowledging God for who He is and the wonderful love He has for me. This lack of worship kills the heart because we never take the focus of ourselves. The studying and the reading is all about what I can know and discover and pass on. Very little time is spent reflecting on who God is and thanking Him for what He has done for us. For our hearts sake we need to put our focus on God. Not only do we have to recognize Him as our Creator, Lord, and Savior, but we also have to allow Him to guide us through this life. Worship gives us the opportunity to put our focus on God.

Consider what the apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:7-9:

I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ, and become one with him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. For God's way of making us right depends with himself depend on faith (NLT).

Paul was able to give up his former life and endure persecution because he had the proper focus. His eyes were on Jesus and what God had done through Jesus for us. It was through worship, making Jesus the most important thing, that Paul was able to get a proper focus on life.

Not only do we need to worship but we also need to grieve. Many of us carry hurts and wounds given to us by people. These wounds we carry in secret careful not to let other people see them for we are scared they might be interpreted at weakness. The result is that we never acknowledge the pain and the sorrow. We suppress the harsh words spoken to us, the death of a parent (or other meaningful person), the abuse done to us, or the rejection we have suffered. Pain is a part of our lives, but we bottle it up. We can hide it some of the time, but most of the time it is there telling us that we are damaged goods. We need to learn to grieve and to acknowledge the pain in our lives. By keeping our pain bottled our hearts are slowly be killed, for they have never had a chance to heal.

Jesus told us; "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted"  (Matthew 5:4; NLT).

To mourn before God does not dishonor Him. He realizes how painful life is, He experiences the pain as well. God also knows our hurts, and His promise is that if we acknowledge our pain He will comfort us. As long as we hide our sin comfort will not find us. It is only when we turn to God and tell Him of our pain will comfort find us.

It is important to the health of our hearts for us to worship God and grieve the tragedies of life. Worship allows us to focus our lives on what is important. Grief helps us find comfort and healing for the pain in our lives. The health of our hearts demands that we be more disciplined.