Cause and Effect!

Cause and Effect!

Matthew 5:4 AMPC

[4] Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!

Life will happen to the best of us. As a result of man's first sin in the Garden of Eden, sin has now become natural to us. We do not have to do much to sin, as the natural order for man is to choose wrong over right. It is therefore not of much benefit to worry too much about sin, but about its earthly and eternal consequences. There is no value to just crying over sin; it is more important to seek God's solution to sin and take advantage of what He offers as the permanent solution to sin. As you read the bible, you find good examples of the destructive power of sin, the mercy that true repentance and sorrow for sin can attract, and the reconstructive work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of all who truly are sorry for their past sins. Where do you fit in all the above? 

As laid out above, there are many things that could cause a man to mourn, because this side of eternity permits it. This mourning is a meaningful, persistent grief over wrong; over something that is not right or good. There is a right context to this mourning which leads to blessedness, and that has to be my focus. The pain, suffering and death in the world today could cause a child of God to mourn, as there is an understanding of the cause and effect of sin on the world, but the child of God also knows that God has made adequate provision for the solution to sin. As the child of God mourns over the pain and destruction the world experiences today, there is a counter balance in the joy that comes from knowing that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord is saved from the power and effect of sin. 

It takes personal knowledge and experience to fully grasp both sides. It is not a wonder, then, that Jesus was speaking to his disciples here. If you are not a disciple of Jesus, it means that you do not have access to the remedies available. It means that you may have to sorrow all alone, with no one to help. It is not a wonder that the bible makes a big difference between worldly sorrow and Godly sorrow. Those who have God will also have life happen to them, but they have the big advantage of having God on their side to walk with them. My prayer is that none of us end up like Judas Iscariot, who, by worldly sorrow, ended up hanging himself and losing out in eternity. As the verse above says, God's favor and matchless grace are available for all who seek Him. The world gives enough pain;  I have nothing to lose if I seek God. God's time of favour is here.