Christian Commentary Encouraging Devotions

The God of all comfort,

the source of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles,

- Why?

so that

we can comfort others

- How?

with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives,

so also

through Christ

our comfort overflows.

The more we suffer for Christ,

the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

If we are distressed...

even when we are weighed down with troubles...

- there's a bigger reason...

it is for your comfort and salvation;

if we are comforted,

it is for your comfort,

which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.

...you can patiently endure.

And our hope for you is firm,

because we know that just as you share in our sufferings,

so also you share in our comfort.

We were under great pressure,

crushed and overwhelmed,

far beyond our ability to endure,

so that we despaired even of life.

We thought we would never live through it.

Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.

We expected to die.

But this happened

- Why?

that we might not rely on ourselves...

that we should not trust in ourselves...

but on God, who raises the dead.

As a result,

we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God,

And He did rescue us,

He has delivered us from such a deadly peril,

and He will deliver us.

On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us,

as you help us by your prayers.

You are helping us by praying for us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-11