AUG. 2, 2013
Pass
It On
Read: 2
Corinthians 1:3-7
As you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the
consolation. —2
Corinthians 1:7
I’ve
noticed through the years that those who have suffered are quick to
comfort
other sufferers. When a young couple suffers the loss of a child,
another
couple who also lost a child in the past asks if they can help. If a
couple
loses their main income, almost immediately another couple steps
forward to
offer their aid, remembering their own journey through
foreclosure years
earlier. Again and again we see the body of Christ
supporting and encouraging
one another. These Christians have learned
that they can use the trials they’ve
been through to reach out to others
going through similar difficulties.
Have
you been sick? Lost a loved one? Been imprisoned? Unfairly treated?
In all of
our trials, God promises to bring something good out of even our
darkest
moments (James 1:2-4). One key way this takes place is when we
share the
comfort He offered us with those who are now going through trials.
As
Paul points out in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, we are comforted by a Savior who
knows
our suffering, and we honor Him when we pass His comfort on to still
others.
May
we never leave someone to suffer alone. If we know the trail another is
on, God
will help us to guide that person to His presence—the surest
comfort of all.
Dear Lord, help us to step forward when
others around us are suffering trials similar to
what we’ve been through. Enable us to be a
comfort, as You have been to us in the past.
God comforts us so that we can comfort others.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
