Dec 11

“….the God of all comfort;” 1 Corinthians 1:3

Like all things good and wholesome, consolation, compassion and comfort find source in, and flow from, the Lord God. Comfort found in anyone or anything else is quite short lived, or not at all as heartening as we can have through Jesus. Mankind is predisposed to trouble and suffering, and in such times we all need relief and support. The best comfort in our times of distress comes from the Lord, for He like no-one else, best understands us and our situation. In verses 3-7 of this chapter, Paul uses the Greek word for comfort (also translated consolation in the KJV) ten times, highlighting for us not only the fact that God is the source of our comfort in afflictions and sufferings, but that we can become channels of God’s comfort to others. Note that we have no real or worthwhile consolation of our own to give, but that we can be used by God to transmit His support to others. We learn then, that we are not only to trust God and allow Him to be our solace in all our life struggles, but that we should also allow Him to use us to communicate the power and support of His comfort, to those around us who are facing anguish and difficulty. Perhaps we are best equipped to be ministering servants of God’s comfort to others, when we have ourselves suffered and have experienced the consolation that comes through His Spirit, perhaps through the kind words and supportive actions of another ‘comforted comforter’. This process and transmission, from one comforted believer to another, and anointed by God’s Holy Spirit, seems integral and necessary to assist members of the body of Christ, the church, in maintaining a spiritually strong and healthy cohesiveness and closeness. It may help us then to remember when we go through a trial of life, and find comfort in God, that a secondary reason for the Lord allowing this, aside than for our personal spiritual strengthening, could be that we, at some stage in the future, may be a support, aid and succour to someone else, as they too face the distresses of life.


http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion