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Monday... So what do we do?


2 Corinthians 1:3 (NLT), "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort."

Monday... So what do we do?

We can go through difficult times and they can bring up a lot of questions.

Now the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the church at Corinth starts out talking about troubles. In 1:8 (NLT) he says, "We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sister, 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 not live through it."


Now earlier in this chapter in verse 3 he writes, "All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort." And no matter what we are going though that is such an important truth for us to remember and to share. Yes in those times of trouble we need comfort and God is our source.

And then Paul writes in verse 4, "He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When we are in trouble, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us." And Paul goes on to say in verse 5, "For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ."

And here is one answer to the question, so what do we do? One answer is, do not waste it. Again, "When we are in trouble, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us."

Yes, there is a lot of value in experience. There are lessons to be learned in our troubles. Now I have trouble with giving advice when that is not what they need. As I've said before, advice not asked for stinks. But comfort goes a long way in making a difference. Now there may be a time when sharing our experience is important and we don't want to waste that opportunity. That is what Paul is doing here and it is so important.

In verses 8-11 he writes, "We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sister, 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. 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. 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. 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."

So let's not waste the opportunity to give comfort and to share our experience. Yes, God wants to use us. He really does. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning



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