Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.     2 Corinthians 1:3-4 HCSB

You ever get discouraged and wonder why God would even bother to come to your rescue, or help you or comfort you? Well, that question is answered for us in our Scripture passage for today. God comforts us so that we can comfort others.

When we go through trials and tribulations, we must understand that we are going through a learning process. God is teaching us how to respond. He is strengthening us and building our endurance (James 4:8). We learn to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). We are not given these learning experiences only to make us better at being Christians. But we are given these experiences and we experience God’s comfort so that we may comfort others.

We can share our experiences with others who are going through hard times, and we can also share God’s deliverance. We can let others know what God has done for us and let them know that they can trust Him to take care of them also. We can comfort them in their times of grief knowing that God has comforted us when we were suffering.

Many years ago, I got a degree in counseling. I tried counseling with a secular agency, but something was missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it until years later. What was missing in the counseling was Jesus and God’s word. How can we instill hope in someone without God? How can we comfort someone without giving them hope in Christ?

My friend, if you are suffering know that God is there for you. He will walk with you through the fire and the flame. He will fight your battles. You can trust in Him. He’s got this. He will bring you through to the other side.

But when you come through, don’t forget who brought you through. Praise Him for his goodness, his mercy and his grace. And don’t ever forget to share His love with others. When you see those around you suffering, you can encourage them and let them know that God loves them and wants to help them through these trying times.

When we love God and trust in Him, He will walk us through anything we may face. We can put our trust in Him. He will be there for us. He does this so that we can let others know that He will be there for them as well. God loves us all, but He will never force Himself on us.

If you have been comforted, know that you need to comfort others. If you have been saved, you need to do your best to lead those around you to salvation. If you have felt Jesus’ love and protection in your life, you need to encourage those who may be discouraged or afraid.

It’s not all about you, Pumpkin. As our pastor always says, “You need to put Jesus first, others second and yourself last if you want to experience true joy.” God provides comfort and all good things for us so that we can help others.

If you have been comforted, be thankful. Praise God for his goodness.  But don’t stop there. Extend that same hand of kindness to those in need around you. We are to be imitators of Christ. He didn’t turn His back on those in need. He didn’t turn His back on us but died for us while we were still sinners. He’s there to comfort us when the going gets rough. We need to be there for others.

Have a great day!