Distractions and Focus 2 – Weeping – EGP Blog post from October 19, 2012

This is part two of the series on distractions: weeping. Be sure to check out yesterday’s post on marriage if you haven’t already.

1 Corinthians 7:29–31 ()

[29] But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; [30] and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; [31] and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away.

Let me start by saying that there is nothing wrong with crying, weeping, or mourning. In fact, we are commanded to weep. says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” We can do this because God “comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

As many people know that the shortest verse in the Bible is, , “Jesus wept.” He wept because He saw the sadness of those mourning the death of Lazarus, later He wept because the people in the city still didn’t believe Him and it was the week of His crucifixion. Also, we read in that, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.”

So, weeping is okay, but as with most things, it’s about focus and moderation. Weeping becomes a distraction when we never find comfort in the “God of comfort” and when we’re never acquainted with Jesus who is “a Man of sorrows, acquainted with grief”. Things will hurt, maybe even for your whole life, but love God more than that hurt and one day, “He will wipe away every tear from [your] eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 ()

[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, [17] comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

Key verses

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