11 May 2005 Devotion for Today "Blessed Mourning" Matthew 5:4

<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore"><IMG height=13 alt=* src="PicExportError" width=13><SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>11 May 2005<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Devotion for Today<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>“Blessed Mourning”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Matthew 5:4</FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3></FONT></FONT>&nbsp;</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3>Have you ever asked yourself, "How seriously does God really take my sin"? </FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Enough to send Jesus to die for it! In God’s eyes, nothing short of the death of His son could remedy the problem of sin. While we sometimes joke about it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>The other day we were at a livestock auction and there was this little child- about a year and a half old, jabbering on about something.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>He stumbled and fell, and in the presence of everybody around him, evoked a curse word because he fell.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Well, everyone around him thought that was so funny.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>But I saw nothing funny about it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Can you imagine that this child’s first utterance of the name of God used only as a conjunction with the act of somebody going to Hell?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>He will never, unless God’s grace intervenes, know the God of grace and forgiveness.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Because of the sorry parental influence he had, unless God intervenes, that child will probably go to Hell one day himself. But they all thought that was so funny!<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Sin is no laughing matter. It’s not to God, and it shouldn’t be to us. Put yourself in God’s position </FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </SPAN>In Matthew 5:4, Jesus says, “Blessed are they that mourn.”<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Instead of trivilializing and making light of sin, Jesus says that we will be blessed when we recognize our sinfulness the way God does, and see it as He sees it.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>When sin breaks our heart, we will be blessed because we will be comforted.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>God will forgive us and comfort us in all our afflictions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>These afflictions are the tendencies to sin and do certain things that God will deliver us from if we allow Him to do so.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Part of doing that is by hating the sin as much as He does, instead of justifying our sin and minimizing its effects upon us or others.</FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp;</SPAN><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </SPAN>Can you imagine allowing your own child to be beaten, tortured, spit upon, ridiculed, hanging on a cross to die? This shows not only the depth of God’s love for us, but it also shows the ugly nature of sin and its results. Never allow sin to harden you so that you don’t see its consequences Ask God to allow the Holy Spirit to convict you When this happens, seek forgiveness The righteous robes of Christ will cover you.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes">&nbsp; </SPAN>Have a blessed day.</FONT></FONT></P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3></FONT>&nbsp;</P> <P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">&nbsp;</P></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Rev. Jeffery C. Russell<BR>Salem Baptist Church<BR>Elizabeth City, NC <BR><A href="mailto:jefferyrussell@earthlink.net">jefferyrussell@earthlink.net</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>website:&nbsp;&nbsp; <A href="http://25621.lifewaylink.com">http://25621.lifewaylink.com</A><BR><A href="http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com">http://jeffrussellsblog.blogspot.com</A><BR><A href="http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/">http://devotionfortoday.blogspot.com/</A></FONT></DIV>