2 Corinthians 1:3,4 "Blessed be....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."
Physical Comfort
What comes to mind when you think of comfort? I think of comfortable shoes, soft pillows, 70 degree weather, and a LazyBoy recliner! It is good to be comfortable. However, comfort, in this passage, means so much more than being physically comfortable.
Spiritual Comfort
"...to impart strength and hope to; to encourage; to relieve; to console; to cheer." (Webster). God gives strength, hope, encouragement, relief, consolation, and cheer to His children because He loves us. He also gives us comfort so that we are equipped to offer comfort, consolation, and encouragment to others that may be going through hardships and difficulties.
Don't get TOO COMFORTABLE
The Christian life is always about sharing and doing for others. Comfort is not for us to keep all to ourselves. It is interesting to note that comfort in Scripture can be both an object (noun) and an action (verb) word; something to have and something meant to be shared!
Notice the words ALL COMFORT
We, as humans, are limited to the amount of comfort we are capable of offering. However, we can point others to the One who is not limited in giving eternal comfort to His children. God is the God of ALL comfort and His supply never runs low!John 14:26, Jesus Promised,
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in My name,
He shall teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you."
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Have a good Thursday!
~ Pamelyn
This verse is such a good reminder that we go through trials for a reason and that reason is of course the obvious, to come through being more like Jesus and to grow in our knowledge and love of the Lord. But secondly to comfort others who are going through something that we've already gone through. We definitely are not to hoard the comfort, there are so many hurting people, we are to pass it on! Good word today, Pamelyn! God bless.
ReplyDeleteHi Pamelyn, I am always blessed when I visit here. Thanks for this post on comfort. I love the verse you used at the top of this devotion, and used it just the other day with a friend who lost her husband recently. Like Natalie said above, our trial helps us comfort others. Thanks for taking the time to write what God laid on your heart. ~ Abby
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