Take It Seriously

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

Matthew 5:4

Has anyone ever told you to make your bed? Or to put up your toys? Or to put your dirty clothes in the laundry basket? At first you may have thought these tasks were not that important. Maybe you did not understand why it mattered whether your room was clean or dirty. But something happens when you start to clean up your room on a regular basis: you begin to value a clean room and you cannot stand for someone to mess it up.

Like being told by your parents to clean up your room, God commands you to turn away from sin and trust Christ. Disciples of Jesus are to “lament and mourn and weep” over their sin. Jesus expects his disciples to grow in grace so that they start off saying sin is wrong and end up feeling sorrow over sin and its consequences in their lives and the lives of others.

Like cleaning up your room, the more you obey God, the more you feel sorrow over the times you disobey him. At first, you may not understand why certain actions, words, or thoughts are sinful. You may not get why it’s out of bounds for those who want a relationship with God. But the more you turn away from those sins and seek to obey God, the more you value obedience and hate sinfulness.

Father, change what I think matters. As I obey you, help me to love what is true, good, and beautiful so that when I sin I will immediately know how wrong it is.