Overmuch Mourning

Samuel was a godly man and mourned for a considerable time over the failure and rejection of King Saul. His mourning was commendable to some degree but the Lord had had enough of it. He told Samuel to get up and get about his business of finding the next king.

Our mourning over our sin is like this. It is commendable to some degree but the Lord will soon have enough of it. How long will you mourn over your sin? Get you into the house of the Lord and stand before the living God. Stand and stand fast and heed the Word of the Lord. To obey is better than sacrifice. So, receive the forgiveness that is declared and stop trying to beat yourself up by your own measure of penance. This ill countenance does not become the saints of the Lord.

Get down on your knees and humble yourself before the Lord. And then, having done that, get over it, get up and get on with it. This does not mean that you think lightly of sin but it does mean that you think highly of the grace and forgiveness that God has granted you in Jesus Christ.