Matthew 5:4 (ESV): “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Not all mourning is the same. There is the mourning that comes from loss, pain, and hardship in this broken world. The mourning a Christian feels runs deeper than that. It is the sorrow of a heart that recognizes the weight of sin—our own and the sin that fills this fallen world. The promise given by Jesus here is that those who mourn over their sin and the sin of the world shall be comforted. Not

Matthew 5:2-3 (ESV): “ 2  And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The greatest realization in life is this: apart from Jesus Christ, we are spiritually bankrupt. No achievement can save us. When we see that we are poor in spirit, that’s where true life begins. Jesus traveled through Galilee healing the sick and casting out demons, but when the crowds gathered, He addressed their greatest need—

Matthew 4:12-13 (ESV): “ 12  Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. 13  And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14  so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled…” Life is full of twists and turns. However, our God is in control of them all. He allows only that which will shape us. You can trust Him at every turn. Forty or so days after Jesus was baptized, J