COMFORT

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. 2 Corinthians 1:3 - 7 (NLT)

Verse four says it all:

He comforts us so that we can comfort others.

Go back and re-read verse five. It sounds like God doesn’t really want us to suffer. After all, the more we suffer, the more He comforts us through Christ Jesus. So, our suffering is really a blessing because it brings us CLOSER TO JESUS.

That of course means that we must LOOK to Him for comfort. We can’t receive something from Him if we are not expecting it to come from Him.

We were talking in Bible study last night and noted the same thing in regards to God’s grace. It is there for us to receive, but we have to accept it. The same can be said of salvation. God offers salvation freely to all, the “whosoever” of John 3:16, but it must be accepted. Forgiveness must be accepted to heal a rift between two people. We must be obedient in receiving what God has for us.

That brings us back to the basis for our existence in the first place; it is all about relationship, our relationship with God and our relationship with other people. In Matthew 22:37 - 40 (NLT) Jesus tells us what is most important,

“‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

We suffer, God comforts us through Christ, we comfort others in their suffering bringing them closer to Christ and completing the cycle. We exist because of God. We exist for God and His purposes.

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IF

Has anyone, perhaps a parent, teacher or boss, ever said to you, “If you will do this, then you will get ______________”?

“If” is such a tiny word, but has a mountain of meaning within its two letters.

And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:2 - 3 (NASB)

Jesus is willing to do many things for us. He wants good in our lives, not evil. That’s why He gave His life on the cross at Calvary. He wanted the penalty for sin taken care of so that we could live holy lives set apart to Him and enjoy life.

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! Matthew 7:11 (NASB)

God is always willing to do good toward us. The “If” is our part.

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; Romans 10:9 (NASB)

Lest someone think they can live their life in any manner they wish and still enjoy the benefits that God offers, Jesus tells us in Matthew 16:24 - 27 (NASB)

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.

He also said,

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NASB)

Which side of the “If” are you on?

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COMING

We can all agree that going about your life without a goal or purpose in mind can lead to discouragement, disappointment and even chaos. If we have nothing to look forward to, we are not very motivated.

As a Christian, we have something to look forward to…Christ is coming for us!

“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3 ”If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1 - 3 (NASB)

When we stop and think about that, it is absolutely amazing and should inspire us to lead lives that are constantly preparing for His return. Just as we want to look our best and be on our best behavior if we are expecting a special visitor, we want to be ready for Christ when He comes for us.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 - 18 (NASB)

It is indeed a comfort knowing that the One Who created us, died for us and redeemed us, is also coming back for us. But, there are many who do not have this hope. There are many who do not even know about the possibility of such an incredible event. We are to tell them the same thing that Jesus told Thomas when he asked how he could be part of that event,

Jesus said^* to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6 (NASB)

There is no other way but through Jesus Christ. Any other way that is taught is false and intended to mislead people away from the person of Jesus.

Let us all prepare for the return of our Savior, the goal of which is to please Him, to be more like Him. Maranatha, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

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HOME

When you graduate high school and go away to college, where is your home? When you graduate college, get a job and buy your own house, where is your home?

For the Christian, the answer must always be the same, “with Jesus.”

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:6 - 8 (NLT)

Most of the problems we run into here on this earth, financial, relationships, jobs, school, etc., are because we are not keeping in mind where our real home is…Heaven. When we do, we remember Who it is that is the Lord of Heaven. We remember Who it is that is the Lord of our lives. Then those earthly problems vanish for we have something far greater to look forward to…being with Jesus.

Meantime, we dwell on this earth and are to be about the Lords’ business. We are to be telling people about this fabulous home that awaits us and why we believe it. We are to be showing them through love that God is real and therefore our hope is real.

Everything on this earth is temporary, the monetary system, the governments, the latest electronic fads, the clothes and hairstyles. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and He is the One Who has gone to heaven to prepare a place for us and He is the One Who is coming back for those that trust in Him (John 14:2-3).

Hebrews 13:14 (NLT) For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

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PROFESSOR

There’s another meaning for the word professor besides teacher. It also means someone who holds a certain belief. For example, “They profess to know Christ as their Savior.”

Have you ever heard someone say, “They are professors not possessors”? What they really should say is, they seem to be professors not possessors, for no one but God truly knows someone’s heart.

What would cause someone to say that? Perhaps they what they see the person doing is inconsistent with what that person says. There’s another saying, “Do what I say, not what I do.” There was only one perfect man and that was Christ Jesus, who was and is the Son of God. His walk lined up perfectly with His talk.

Listen to these words from 1 John 2:3 - 6 (NASB),

By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; 5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: 6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

Now there’s a standard to shoot for, live as Christ lived. Saying “I have come to know Him” is different from saying, “I am learning more and more about Him every day.” We must remain humble.

At the same time, we must strive to live a life that closely resembles the life that Jesus lived. We must learn the principles by which He lived and practice living that way. The only way we can do that is by spending time in His Word, the Bible, praying consistently and trusting the Holy Spirit to accomplish this in our lives.

That reminds me of the title of a song that Stella, a dear friend in Christ, gave to me several years ago. Let it also serve as a reminder for us today:

LET OTHER’S SEE JESUS IN YOU

DARKNESS

About a month ago, I was on a motorcycle ride with a friend. We went out to the Chiricahua National Monument. It was a beautiful sunny day.

As we rode the winding road toward the top, the trees covered over the road acting as an umbrella and we were suddenly in utter darkness and incredibly cold air. The sun was in the south and we were now on the north side of the mountain. Does that mean the sun went down? No, only that we were no longer in its direct path.

Often, in our walk through life’s winding road, we come into that place of darkness and bitter cold. Does that mean God is gone? No, of course not! It means that we are off the path He would have us walk.

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 1 John 1:5 - 6 (NASB)

What about the shades in between dark and light? Well, if God’s light is TOTALLY VOID of DARKNESS then our fellowship with Him is only proper and correct when it is TOTALLY VOID of DARKNESS.

We do come across so many “gray” areas in our lives. The longer we walk in fellowship with God, the more able we are to recognize these shady or gray places. Will we step off the path occasionally? Sure, we’re not perfect. But, as we focus our eyes on God, we will be guided back to that path. Verse nine of this same chapter in First John says,

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NASB)

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12 (NASB)

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FELLOWSHIP

I had the greatest time getting my motorcycle serviced a couple of days ago! Does that sound crazy? It was some of the best fellowship I’ve had in a long time. Yes, fellowship!

I towed the bike on a friends trailer and he rode with me in the truck. We talked about several things but everything centered around Christ. While the bike was being serviced we met his son, also a Christian, for lunch. Again, while we talked about many different things, Christ was the salt of our conversation. Another Christian biker that none of us had ever met joined us for 15 minutes or so and again, Christ was the center which the conversation revolved around.

Too often when we think about fellowship in the church, we think about pot lucks and eating. Can that be fellowship? Absolutely, if we are engaged in godly conversation and loving each other. Does fellowship have to involve eating? Look at verse nine from 1 Corinthians chapter one:

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now obviously we don’t chow down with Jesus, at least not in the physical sense.

The word fellowship is the English translation of the Greek word koinonia. It is translated Fellowship 12 times, Communion 4 times, Communicate one time, Communication one time, Contribution one time, and Distribution one time.

It is defined by Thayer’s Greek Definitions as fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, the share which one has in anything, participation, intimacy, the right hand as a sign and pledge of fellowship (in fulfilling the apostolic office), a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, as exhibiting an embodiment and proof of fellowship.

I know, that’s a lot of words, but I want you to notice that our fellowship is to be centered around Christ.

That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:3 - 4 (NKJV)

Fellowship among Christians should NOT look or sound like the fellowship that the world engages in. We, as Christians, are called to be holy, separated from the world. There is to be a difference!

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COURAGE

Do you ever get discouraged? Perhaps it’s the high price of gasoline, too much homework, no compliments from your boss, or some other thing that causes you to feel this way. For some it’s a boyfriend or girlfriend breaking up with them. For others it’s a spouse of several years leaving, or not having a job. Whatever it is, we all get discouraged at some point in time.

I get discouraged when I look around at the apathy found in many of today’s churches. I’m not talking about any one particular church…it seems to be a national epidemic.

It’s ok for me to feel that way for a moment, but that “feeling” can easily become “the place where I reside.” Letting that happen is unscriptural, it’s unhealthy. The Bible says in Deuteronomy 1:21 (KJV),

Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

Problems should get our attention, but not our devotion. Your boyfriend left you. Ok, you had your moment of sadness, but don’t be discouraged. Why not?

Because God tells us not to be afraid or discouraged. He tells us why it won’t be a problem in Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV),

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Do you believe that? Do you believe that the God who Created the Universe, who helped the Israelites safely cross the Red Sea while destroying Egypt’s armies, who sent His only Son do die for your sin…that God is the One who goes with you into and out of all your problems. He promises not to leave you and not to forsake you. Your job is simply to trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

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WHITE

We awakened this morning to 4-6” of snow in Southeastern Arizona. As I looked out upon the white landscape, it reminded me of the purity of God. The color we know as white is often used in the scripture to indicate purity and holiness:

“I watched till thrones were put in place,

And the Ancient of Days was seated;

His garment was white as snow,

And the hair of His head was like pure wool. Daniel 7:9 (NKJV)

When Christ was transfigured the scripture says, “His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” (Matthew 17:2). The angel that greeted the women at Jesus’ tomb was dressed in “clothing as white as snow” (Matthew 28:3).

You and I are called to that same holiness, that same purity, only available to us by faith in Christ Jesus. The scriptures tell us that we are to be holy as God is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). The only way we can do that is to present ourselves to God, surrender to Him, on a daily basis.

And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. Romans 6:13 (NKJV)

Isaiah 1:16 - 20 (NKJV)

“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean;

Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.

Cease to do evil, ¹⁷ Learn to do good;

Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor;

Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.

¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord,

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool.

¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;

²⁰ But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”;

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Enjoy the snow if you got any and let it remind you that God is holy and desires the same for you.

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PRAY

This “word” is a continuation of yesterday’s entitled “Warfare.”

Ephesians 6:17 - 18 (YLT) and the helmet of the salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying of God, 18 through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and in regard to this same, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

The Young’s Literal translation above tells us to “receive” the helmet of salvation as opposed to “take” in the King James. I like that. We don’t have any power, or even an inclined will to take something that precious and good, although I know what the translators were meaning. Still, if we are going to be effective in the spiritual battle in which we are engaged we must receive the precious gift of God’s Son, salvation.

Ephesians 6:17 - 18 (KJV) ¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: ¹⁸Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Another difference between the Young’s Literal and the typical rendering is the use of the comma just before verse eighteen. The King James does come the closest with its use of the colon, but most translations use a period and even a new paragraph distancing the two thoughts.

Notice what happens when you consider the two thoughts together, the latter being a continuation and expansion on the former:

Take (or receive) the saying of God (literally, the utterance) through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit,

To me that says, unless we are praying in the Spirit we will not get or understand, what God is saying.

The Holy Spirit forbids or prompts when to speak the word of God (Acts 4:31, 16:6), gives us the words to say (Luke 12:12). The Holy Spirit will also teach us all things and bring to our remembrance the word (John 14:26).

This says to me, that we must be in tune with the Spirit of God if we are going to be of any effect in the spiritual battles we are faced with every day. We must confess our sin, admit our weakness, ask God for His strength, mentally and physically, and for His guidance and direction in our lives.

PRAYING ALWAYS…about everything, small to large decisions

with ALL PRAYER and supplication…

• Public prayer
• Private prayer
• General prayer
• Specific prayer

WATCHING for what God is doing in regard to your prayer.

With PERSEVERANCE…not giving up on your praying and not giving up watching what God is doing in regard to your prayers.

The battle is real. Be prepared and be effective.

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WARFARE

There is a battle going on in this world that is more dangerous than the one in the Middle East. It is all around us and yet we cannot see it with the naked eye.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 (NASB)

The prince of this world is vying for the souls of men. He would distract those of us that believe in Christ with the allures of the world, the promises of power and please, if we let him.

You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. Ephesians 2:2 (NLT)

But, we are NO LONGER under satan’s “princeship”. We are no longer slaves to sin. We no longer live for those things that bring temporary pleasure. Since we accepted the free gift of Salvation offered by Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we LIVE FOR CHRIST.

We must put on GOD’S armor (Truth, Righteousness, The Gospel of Peace, Faith, Salvation) and use GOD’S WORD as we go about our lives. It is not OUR armor, it is HIS. GOD’S armor cannot fail, but it is up to us to put it on!

However, we must first understand our spiritual position before we can have spiritual power.

1. We are seated with Christ in the heaven realms far above all of Satan’s principalities and powers (Ephesians 2:6).
2. The very power of God is available to us through the indwelling Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-21).

What is it that can defeat us as children of Christ? Of whom shall we be afraid? Paul gives us the answer in Romans 8:35-39 (KJV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, ³⁹Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God has already won the victory through His Son Jesus Christ. We cannot be defeated if we remain in Christ. Thank Him for His armor and put it on! Immerse yourself in His Word and PRAY without ceasing. Onward Christian soldiers…

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CONDUCT

How we conduct ourselves with our friends is a great way to tell what is really in our hearts. One can see our love, our generosity, whether or not we are honest in all things, basically what we are really “made of.”

Paul is reminding the people in the church at Corinth that he has always dealt with them with the utmost integrity. His conduct among them has been one of holiness, purity, selflessness and godly sincerity.

Notice also that Paul tells them he does not put on a “different face” for the rest of the world. He conducts himself among strangers with that same purity and godliness that he does with his fellow believers.

It is important that we be of one mind, the mind of Christ, in our dealings with all peoples so that no cry of “hypocrite” can be heard regarding our conduct.

For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness* and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 2 Corinthians 1:12 (NASB)

*NOTE:

KJV - uses simplicity (haplotēs) and godly sincerity, where haplotes means singleness of mind or sincerity without thought of self.

NASB – uses holiness (hagiotēs) and godly sincerity, where hagiotes means holiness or sanctity.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary points out that these two words could have easily been confused by the scribe copying a manuscript. I point that out to say this, God’s Word is reliable even when a different word is chosen by the scribe. The underlying meaning of the passage is that Paul has spoken to the church at Corinth with the utmost integrity, which either word (hagiotes or haplotes) supports.

DELIVER

“I’m in too deep, nobody can help me. I’m in so much trouble, there’s no way out.”

Have you ever heard someone talk that way? Perhaps you have even felt that way before. I’m hear to tell you that there is One for whom no situation is too difficult, no problem so big it cannot be conquered. His name is Jesus.

Listen to Paul as he tells about his trust in Him:

For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 2 Corinthians 1:8 - 10 (NASB)

A friend of mine pointed out the other day that some believe that Paul’s statement in verse 9 refers to Paul’s actually being killed and raised to life again by God. This is the passage they were referring to from Acts 14:19-20:

But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. 20 But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city. The next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.

Whether or not this is what Paul was referring to in the 2 Corinthians passage, we do know that God DID raise people from the dead:

1. Son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17: 17-23)

2. Shunammite’s son (2 Kings 4:32-37)

3. Young man laid in Elisha’s sepulcher (2 Kings 13:21)

4. Widow’s son (Luke 7:12-15)

5. Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:49-55)

6. Lazarus (John 11:43-44)

7. Dorcas (Acts 9:37-40)

8. Eutychus (Acts 20:9-12; Hebrews 11:35)

And of course, Jesus himself was raised after being in the tomb for three days.

Is it any wonder that Paul put his complete trust in him? You and I may have problems that seem insurmountable to us. But to God they are easily overcome when we come to Him for help.

Set your hope on God…and He will deliver you.

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FATHER...

In today’s world there are many who do not know what it is like to have a father. Certainly, they had a biological father, but that doesn’t mean that he was around to raise them. Many today are raised by single moms and the concept of father is but a distant notion.

It is not like that with our heavenly Father.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NASB)

Not only is God the Father of our Savior, Jesus Christ, but He is the

Father of mercies.

The word mercies is from the Greek word oiktirmos which is defined by Thayer’s Greek Dictionary as:

1) compassion, pity, mercy

1a) bowels in which compassion resides, a heart of compassion

1b) emotions, longings, manifestations of pity

God is the Father of Compassion. Just as an earthly father causes a child to come into the world, God the Father is the source of compassion. You may feel compassion from someone toward you, but God is the original source of that compassion. And, He is the best at showing compassion. It is His nature for, as the scriptures say, God is love (1 John 4:8).

⁴Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, ⁵does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NASB)

In our scripture for today God is also called the

Father of all comfort.

Comfort is an easy word to grasp. It means to come along side someone and help them feel better. I want you to notice that He is not merely the God of comfort, but the God of ALL comfort. He is the source of any real comfort that you experience.

The Greek word used for comfort here is the same root as the word used for the Holy Spirit when He is referred to as the Comforter (John 14:16). What greater comfort could there be than knowing that in the midst of all of our problems here on this earth, we have the Comforter who is with us everywhere that we go providing direction, wisdom and the actual presence of God in us.

Praise be our wonderful God who is the

The Father of our Savior, Jesus Christ,

The Father of compassion,

The Father of ALL comfort and

THE Heavenly Father that loves us even now. Amen

PEACE...

There was a good amount of discussion this last week about the grace and peace of God. Paul uses both these words as a greeting in many of his letters:

Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:2 (KJV)

Is there more to these words than mere greeting? I would have to say yes, particularly because grace and peace are imparted from God to us. Let us look to Ephesians 6:12 at an example of how God is gracious toward us.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

God tells us in this same passage (vs. 14-18) to equip ourselves to handle this spiritual warfare. He tells us to put on the defensive armor of:

1. Truth
2. Righteousness
3. The Gospel of Peace
4. Faith
5. Salvation

And have ready our only offensive weapon, our sword,

The Word of God

Finally, in verse 18, He tells us to pray always and with perseverance. We are to live our lives in an atmosphere of prayer, a constant communication with our Commander in Chief, God Almighty.

What, you may ask, does that have to do with “grace and peace.” As I pondered that question, I realized how fortunate we are to have a God that loves us so much. He spares us, by His grace, from seeing the evil forces that are encamped about us. Most of us would probably drop dead from fright!

His grace has spared us from experiencing the floggings, the stoning and the shipwrecks that Paul went through. We all experience trials, but not necessarily because of our faithfulness to Christ. Many of the trials that we encounter are just a part of living in this world. Yet, even in those, we experience His grace as he holds back Satan’s forces from harming us even further.

It is when we come to fully recognize His awesome grace that we then experience His incredible peace that passes all understanding.

Are you going through trials? Recognize that God the Father may have something to teach you in each situation. Realize that He is holding back spiritual forces that could cause it to be even worse and thank Him. That is His grace at work in your life. When you understand this, His peace will wash over you as a gentle wave of warmth.

May the grace of God and our Lord Jesus Christ be ever realized in your life and may His peace calm your soul in the midst of all your trials. Amen.

MOTIVATION

Let’s see, would you rather somebody was thrilled to hear you speak or that they dreaded the thought of hearing your voice?

That’s what Paul was up against when he was telling people about Christ.

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NLT)

So what kept Paul going? What can keep us headed down the right path?

The answer is, “the right motivation.” Doing what we do for the right reason is the only thing that will allow us to be successful as we go about doing the Lord’s work until He comes again.

Notice how Paul puts it in verse 17 of the same chapter,

You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

There are people in our day who “preach” for personal profit rather than what Paul gives as the right reason, “knowing that God is watching us.” They simply show up on Sunday to collect a paycheck. Also, notice that Paul points out that with the right motivation, we have the authority given by Christ and, may I add, the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do you want to be successful? Examine why you do what you do. Look at what your motivation is. If you are motivated by pleasing God and being obedient to Him that is great! If not, you had better fix it!!!

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD…

GRUDGE...

Often when somebody hurts or offends one of our friends we are affected in a similar fashion. But how do you feel when the friend that was hurt forgives the offender? We too, should forgive, but instead we often hold a grudge and harbor ill feelings.

Paul gives us a good principle in the following passage of scripture:

2 Corinthians 2:9 - 11 (TMSG) The focus of my letter wasn’t on punishing the offender but on getting you to take responsibility for the health of the church. 10 So if you forgive him, I forgive him. Don’t think I’m carrying around a list of personal grudges. The fact is that I’m joining in with your forgiveness, as Christ is with us, guiding us. 11 After all, we don’t want to unwittingly give Satan an opening for yet more mischief—we’re not oblivious to his sly ways!

If you forgive him, I forgive him, Paul says. On the flip side of that, we can help our friends by telling them when we’ve forgiven a wrong done so they too, can forgive and move on.

Paul points out another good reason for not holding grudges, and that is we are eliminating opportunities for Satan to cause more problems in our lives. When we allow that grudge to take root, it can grow into a larger problem and affect those around us in a negative way.

Hebrews 12:15 (NASB) See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;

What’s the answer? Forgive each other and…

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14 (NASB)

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD…

FORGIVE

Have you ever been angry with a friend for hurting you? It takes a long time to get over some hurts, but after awhile, if you don’t want to lose their friendship, you make up…you forgive them.

Paul explains a similar process among followers of Christ in the church:

I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. 6 Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. 7 Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. 8 So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him. 2 Corinthians 2:5 - 8 (NLT)

There is a time for forgiveness. In the case of this man, it was after he had suffered the consequences of his actions (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). He had been removed from the fellowship of the church, from his friends, from the corporate worship of the Lord. The time had come to forgive him. As when a parent disciplines a child, after the punishment is over, forgiveness follows and love is shown in abundance.

Is there someone in your life that you still need to forgive? It isn’t always easy, but the consequences of letting the opportunity slip away forever can be hurtful for both them and you.

When Jesus was teaching His disciples how to pray in Matthew 6, He included the phrase,

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. (NASB)

In verses 14 and 15 of the same chapter, He explains that unless we are willing to forgive other people, we won’t be able to experience God’s forgiveness, resulting in broken fellowship with Him.

Remember the Holy Spirit will help you, but it’s up to you to take the first step of obedience toward forgiving those who have hurt you. Perhaps it’s a parent, a friend, or an acquaintance in need of your forgiveness. Bless them and yourself by following the path that God lays out in His Word.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD…

DECISIONS...

Have you ever considered whether the decisions you make are spiritually made or based in the flesh? I guess what I’m really saying is, are you decisions made by God, according to His standards and His will or are do you simply do what you want to do.

There’s probably no simple answer but I think that the more time we spend with God in prayer and in His Word, the more likely we are to make decisions that are pleasing to Him.

We can make all sorts of excuses like, “I’m too busy,” but we all know the truth. We simply have changed our priorities and don’t have time for the One who made us and saved us. After all, if we are going to claim to be followers of Christ and yet base our decisions on self (flesh), how will anyone know we are Christians?

In the passage of scripture found in 2 Corinthians 1:15 – 2:4, Paul is explaining to the Church why he wasn’t coming to see them at this time.

But I call God as witness to my soul, that to spare you I did not come again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are standing firm.

2 Corinthians 1:23 - 24 (NASB)

Paul is telling the Church at Corinth that not coming to see them again was a “spiritual” decision and not a fleshly one. Remember he had written them earlier (1 Corinthians) trying to point out some of the errors in their living…

• division in the body
• a man sleeping with his father’s wife
• law suits among believers
• abusing the Lord’s Supper
• competition or disagreements over spiritual gifts

Some of the Corinthians tried to say that Paul couldn’t make up his mind (2 Corinthians 1:17) but Paul was saying this was a spiritual decision. He probably felt that they hadn’t had enough time to resolve their issues and he didn’t want to show up and get angry at them causing them further sorrow (2 Corinthians 2:1).

Spiritual decisions are based on our love of God and others. The spiritual decision made in concert with the Spirit of God will seek the good of others first while decisions based in the flesh (self) usually place others in a secondary position and provide a more immediate benefit to ourselves. The problem is that self-perceived benefit is NOT God’s will…it is ours.

Follower of Christ or follower of self…You decide.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD…