2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, 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. 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.
Being a true Christian has never been easy. Many modern Christians long for the days of the first century Church, believing that it would be an amazing time to be a Christian, seeing all the miracles, and hearing from the apostles in person.
But the days of the early Church were not like many of today’s Christians think. Yes, there were amazing miracles, but there was also strong push back against the Christians by the governing authorities, leading many to imprisonment, torture, and even death at the hands of zealots like Saul of Tarsus. The apostles did preach and teach, but they expected everyone to pitch in and do their part, and not merely take in what they offered.
The apostles themselves were not immune to persecution and execution. By the time Paul wrote this letter, James the brother of John had already been beheaded by King Herod (Acts 12:1-2), and it is likely that others had met their death at the hands of the people in foreign lands whom they were trying to reach with the gospel.
But in these five verses Paul reveals the secret of the apostles’ success and perseverance. In addition to the suffering and persecution that they experienced, they also experienced God’s presence and comfort. Paul identified the trials he had passed through as merely a participation in the sufferings of Jesus. And, just as Jesus had received comfort and strength in the midst of his own trials (Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:41-44), Paul had received comfort from God’s hand in the midst of his own trials and suffering, comfort that he passed on to those under his care who were suffering as well.
Paul knew very well that Jesus did not predict an easy road for his followers, but a road of trials (John 16:33). But in the same breath he promised them victory, over those trials through His own presence and power operating in their lives. Paul had experienced that for himself, and now he passed on that hope to those whom he loved so dearly.
Father, many of us have been taught that if we are in Your will, the road will be smooth and easy, and any opposition or rough places show that we have gotten out of the way somehow. But Your word says exactly the opposite. It is when we experience pushback from those in the world, and even persecution for our righteousness and our participation in the work of the kingdom, that we know that we are on the right path. And it is not primarily for the normal everyday hurts that exist in our broken world that we are promised the extraordinary comfort from You, but for when we are suffering for the cause of Christ. Help us, Lord, to take heart and be courageous enough to move forward in Your power to do Your work, regardless of the consequences, knowing that if opposition and suffering do occur, it is in the midst of that pain that we will sense Your presence and feel Your comforting most powerfully Amen.
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