Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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God who works through generations
2 Corinthians 1:3-11

“He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us”. (10)
When Paul wrote this he was imprisoned in Ephesus. He is praising God for deliverance and reminding them that they will always find comfort in God and they should do the same for their brothers and sisters. In a recent trip to Turkey, I visited Ephesus. I saw the gigantic theater that I imagined Paul preaching to the Ephesians and then looked across the city to see the prison where Paul was imprisoned for his work in Christ. It was a massive stadium. Imagine working up the faith and courage to stand in front of 25,000 people and then have them riot against you. The pain and discouragement one would naturally feel can lead to feelings of self-doubt and questioning. We know that this did not stop Paul as he is still humbly serving God as he writes this letter in prison and we should strive to have the same faith in our God.
Finding comfort in our struggles
 John F. Kennedy said “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.” Do we expect to live our lives without a care in the world? At each of these ages, our struggles are equally important in every context.  In any situation, we may ask things like why does God let this happen? In verse 3-5, it is clear that God wants us to endure sufferings and obstacles so that we emerge stronger and truly appreciate his comfort and presence. The same God who held your hand as a child when you were afraid of the dark is the same God you can lean on when you feel the world is against you. As Christians we should endure to be Christ-like; know that Christ endured the greatest pain for us. Nothing we can ever experience can come close to the pain that our Savior endured for us.
Trust in God
Have you ever felt like you are at your lowest point? As if things just can’t get worse. It is in these times especially is when have to remember to trust God. His comfort and grace is beyond sufficient for any need we have. His mercy and love is limitless and we have to learn to trust him to get us through tribulations that even this world cannot help us through.
Help each other
In this verse Paul stresses that we must comfort each other in the same comfort that we receive from God. As Christians the love and comfort we receive from our heavenly father is not something to keep for ourselves. We must share this with each other. Understand each other’s sufferings and pray for our fellow brothers and sisters.
Prayer: Dear God, let us always strive to be more like you. Amen
Thought for the day: Be thankful for a God that never changes.


Jess Jolly St Thomas MTC, NY

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