Beatitude 2: Blessed by Sadness?
Bible Readings
Take a few minutes to read the Bible verses listed and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in how this verse applies to you this week.
Memory Verse
God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!
As Jesus taught his followers in the Sermon on the Mount, he said, “God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!” Grieving means someone is really, really sad. When you think about someone grieving, how do you think God blesses them? This doesn’t seem to make sense!
When Jesus talks about grieving in this passage, he refers to deep sadness for the pain of our own and others’ sins. Even though we love Jesus, we still sin, and it hurts our relationship with God. That is really sad!
The hurt our sin causes should make us grieve. However, God loves us and wants to make our relationship better. There are many examples of how Jesus showed sinners love, compassion, and forgiveness. He was a friend of sinners and wanted a relationship with them. In Luke 19:1-10, we read how Jesus finds Zacchaeus—a cheater and hated tax collector—and asks to spend time with him. After getting to know Jesus, Zacchaeus grieves his sins and asks for forgiveness. Once this happened, Zacchaeus was filled with peace and joy. By understanding and feeling sorry for his sin, he received comfort.
Sin is a sad part of who we are. However, Jesus teaches us that we have hope. This hope comes only from him. God sees and knows our sorrow about sin and the hurt in the world around us. He loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross to forgive us for all those sins. This fantastic gift can give us such comfort! This week, think about your sin and ask God for forgiveness. Then know that he has forgiven you and feel his comfort as he reassures you of his love for you.
Prayer
God, the effects of my sin can feel heavy and make me sad. Thank you for reassuring me of your forgiveness and your love for me. Thank you for that comfort. Amen.Related Resources
Lisa VanderKuip
Lisa VanderKuip is a Learning Resource Teacher in Ontario, Canada. Each day, she enjoys sharing her love of reading with her students. One of her greatest joys is seeing kids who are struggling unlock the reading code. In her spare time, Lisa loves to golf with her husband and two grown children.