Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. – Matthew 5:3
Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. – Luke 6:21
There are a lot of things that we might mourn and cry over in this life, especially if we value good things like life and love, which seem to be declining in value in the eyes of many godless people.
As a Christian, I am thankful for the commandment of Jesus Christ: love your God and love your neighbor like yourself.
I like to apply the New Testament commandments and mindset of the teachings of Jesus to psalms like 119 that state, “I love thy commandments more than gold, yea, above fine gold,” and “my zeal has consumed me because my enemies have forgotten thy word. Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loves it.”
That psalm speaks volumes to the suffering of the servants of God—both as we deal with our own lack of love and as we deal with the lack of love of others. “I will follow in the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart.”
The more we see the good things of God in short supply, the more valuable they are and the more we should want to see the nature of Jesus grow in us. We feel our lack and desperate need, otherwise the world would overtake us. “They had almost consumed me on the earth, but I forsook not thy precepts. Quicken me after thy lovingkindness, so shall I keep the testimonies of thy mouth.”
In times of murderous men who do not value the things of God, His love is oh so precious—and extraordinarily comforting.
When I see or read things by Christians who encourage us to seek Jesus, remember love, and do our best to be at peace with everyone, my heart is lifted. When I see or read things by other Christians that remind me that Jesus will return, reward our faithfulness, and repay those who slay His servants, I am comforted.
It is good to know that while the wicked seem to prosper in their love of death, their time is short. It is also good to know that if it were not for the grace of God towards us, we would be no different.
How sad it is to have this life only.
If all the wicked get is this one life, let them have it all. They can “take what is theirs and go” as the parable of the talents teaches. A life spent in the earth only is all they get, but we have a greater inheritance.
We have everlasting life, and the suffering we endure at the hands of godless people is nothing compared to the joy we will experience in that kingdom—and can even now experience when our minds are set on Jesus Christ.
Despite our suffering, we can find happiness, peace, patience, and love for our enemies. The godless don’t have that. They are consumed by their hate, and it is sad.
So, while we mourn for ourselves and those who are robbed by the godless, we should mourn for those consumed by this world and its hate.
I know how it feels to be consumed by hate, and I am so thankful that as a Christian, I can confess this to Jesus, pour my complaints out to Him, and be strengthened so that I might overcome for His Name’s sake.
There is much comfort for us Christians. We are comforted when the Spirit corrects us and changes our attitude or brings us to some other form of truth in Jesus Christ. We are comforted with the amazing promises of salvation and a kingdom to come in which righteousness dwells.
How wonderful that kingdom will be! Can you imagine it? Jesus on the throne, visibly reigning with justice, judgment, and mercy forever…a land full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. How amazing that is!
This life is short, and though the suffering feels oh so long and hard to deal with, and though at times we do not feel the comfort we’d like to feel, don’t lose faith. Trust in Jesus and praise Him for all He as done and will do!
Once we are sufficiently strengthened according to the individual calling we have, He will settle our hearts on Him. I also need more strengthening and settling, but I know that He will do it!
Here is one of my favorite scripture songs, Psalm 119 by Paul Stringini. I want to include it here because it might be comforting for others as it is for me. You can find more free scripture songs here.
This article is part of a series that considers the Parables of Jesus. Right now, we are looking at the statements Jesus made during His Sermon on the Mount, to which He referenced in His Parable of the Building on Rock and Sand.
*note* I later realized that I got my parable references crossed, so I want to apologize for that. I combined ideas from the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) and the Parable of the Workers Wages (Matthew 20). The ideas do go together.
We all receive something from God, represented in one parable as a talent and in another as a day’s wage. For some, all they get is this life–their one talent or a day’s wage–and they are okay with that. They take that talent or wage and they bury it in the earth, and in so doing, many think they are first because they seem to come first in this world. But as Jesus says, “those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.”
There are other ways to look at these parables. Lord willing, we will get to all of them. ❤
Jesus Alone 