‘Sorrow Not’

Sorrow Not . . .

I was so encouraged by what I read recently in a book referring to 1Thess.4:13. It was bluntly titled, ‘Sorrow Not’.

The writer referred to some recent deaths in his family, so he had a good opportunity to be very sorrowful. Although it seemed to be the natural thing to do, he said he had to stand against that feeling, by faith. He knew he had to stand on God’s Word not to sorrow or grief.

Grief and sorrow have the ability to choke the Word and cause it to become unfruitful in our lives. Since sorrow can be a heavy weight of loss in our lives, Heb.12:1 tells us to lay aside every weight.

The writer went on to list the things to do in order to lay this weight aside:
1. Remember Jesus defeated sorrow and bore if for you.
2. Use the power of the Word.
3. Don’t be fooled by your flesh.
4. Always see grief and sorrow as spirit beings – not just emotions. They want to take over your emotions and take over your life.
5. Begin to minister joy to others.

Remember that no matter what the source is, sorrow will drain you of life and strength each day; so search your heart and don’t allow any sorrow there.

Another interesting part of this writing, was when the writer again referred to Mark 4:19. There, Jesus explained the Parable of the Sower to His disciples and about the seeds that fell among the thorns. These are people who hear God’s Word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out:
- by the worries of this life
- the lure of wealth
- the desire for other things.

He wrote that when we face painful situations, the sorrow we feel can fall in the category of ‘the desire for other things‘. It is easy to begin to lust after the gush and rush of sorrowful emotion, letting it flood our soul. We may be grieving over things that happened years ago, seemingly small disappointments or even over something that hasn’t even happened yet. In a way, we could be enjoying all the attention, sympathy or such that goes along with the sorrow.

He urges us to speak the Word. Speak it to ourselves and to those who are in sorrow and the Word will begin to produce a powerful force of joy. Strength begins to come like a flood. Our emotions get in line with the Word. We have Jesus, so no more sadness!

Be encouraged to take a stand against sorrow today and lift up your head!