Verse of the Day 9/9

Through the Bible - Proverbs 17-18, 2 Corinthians 4   Good morning, For today's verse we'll back up a few verses to the beginning of 2 Corinthians. John Piper used this passage as a backdrop to give a perspective on the current recession.  In the sermon he points out: "Now what are some of God's purposes in this recession? I will mention five: He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing. He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind. He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth. He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory. He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love. " Today's verse from 2 Corinthians begins a passage under the heading, "Comfort in Suffering".   2 Cor 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.   NKJV or from the NLT 2 Cor 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.  NLT   One little word that has caught my attention in reading through the Bible this past year is the "all encompassing" word, "all".  We considered the repetition of all things in Romans 8:28-39.  These verses refer to God as the God of "all comfort", He can comfort us in "all" our tribulations and trials, physical, monetary, and emotional.  We should pay special attention to the point that this is so that we can comfort others who are going through any (or all) trouble.   Back in Genesis 12, Abram was "blessed to be a blessing".  These verses carry it a little further.  If we've been comforted we should comfort others.  Taking it further, if we've been encouraged we should encourage others, if we've been supported when we've been down we should support others,   Challenging times have always given God's people more opportunities to share His love, comfort, peace, and joy.  God has done great things through seemingly "insignificant" people in these times.   How many biblical examples can you think of? How about Ruth.   Naomi and her husband had left the country during a famine.  She lost almost everything except her daughter in law.  She made a pilgrimage back to her homeland and God changed everything.  Through her daughter in law the family line was continued.  Through that family line came King David and ultimately Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  Think of who was watching out for and showing kindness to them.   The Greek word for "comfort" is related to the familiar word "paraclete", one who comes along side to help.  It is also another name for the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit not only comforts, but gives us courage and boldness to serve Him and comfort others.   Will you come alongside to be a comfort or an encourager to someone today?   In Christ, Mike 2 Cor 1:3-12 God Offers Comfort to All 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. 8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.  NLT