“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” – 2 Cor. 1:3-4
We have a local news program that runs a segment each week called “Pass It On”. In this segment, a random person off the street is given an one hour opportunity to pass along $300.00 to anyone they want to. The only criteria is it can’t be a family member and it has to be done in an hour. Each week, we watch as people surprise their friends, co-workers, and others with $300.00 those friends, who usually need to money badly, never expected to get.
In our passage today, Paul also admonishes Christians to pass along something else to others. He says that God is a God of all comfort. We can come to rest and trust in Him and His faithfulness in our life. Notice Paul doesn’t say that we, as believers, will be delivered from trials and tribulations. That isn’t what he says. But that the God of all comfort grants His beloved comfort, a peace that surpasses understanding, through our difficulties.
But notice with me the underlying purpose to our comfort – “that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble”. We are to “Pass It Along”. We are comforted, granted a certain peace and calmness of spirit, that we might in turn share our experience with fellow believers who, at that moment, God has placed in your life to pass that comfort along to. By this, the wisdom of God is displayed in how He brings His blessings on us.
How has God ministered to you in the last few days, weeks, or months? Have you acknowledged the hand of God in your life, nurturing you, comforting you, etc? And have you in turn seen God’s mercy as a mandate to, in turn, do the same unto others? Let us pray God makes us sensitive to the needs of others, that we might comfort others by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. Amen.
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