Comfort Abounds Through Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 1:5

For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

In the Bible, we are taught that we should rejoice in our trials because they are the building blocks of character in our lives.  They certainly do build character and perseverance in our lives if we turn to the Lord to get us through the challenges we face.

But beyond the character building in our trials, there is an entirely different dimension that we benefit from.  We not only gain in character, but we gain more - much more.  We gain life experiences that we are able to share with others who find themselves going through the same thing.  God prepares us to be comforters for others in their time of need.

Our past experiences give us the foundation for offering faith and hope.  It is our obligation to make suitable returns for what we received by comforting others.  It is our duty to join them in prayer, praise and thanksgiving as we seek a good end to our trials through Jesus Christ.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the consolations and comfort that we find when we turn to Your Son, Jesus, in our times of need.  We bless the name of Jesus for the abundance of all of the fruits of His sufferings that are poured out in a greater amount than our own suffering, providing us relief from our distress and trouble.  Lord, we pray that You build our faith and hope through our trials, so that we may be comforters for those in our lives who are going through their own trials.  May it all be for the glory of Jesus, who suffered so much on our behalf.

Proclaimers of the Good News

1 Corinthians 9:16

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

In his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul makes it clear that he was called to preach the gospel. It was the calling that was given to him by Jesus.  He was commanded to proclaim the Good News to the gentiles.

Jesus has a similar calling for all of us.  Jesus commands us to "go and make disciples of all nations." Matthew 28:19 Even though we all have that same calling, we are all called in different ways according to the equipping of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Most of us will not be called to be preachers, evangelists or missionaries.  Some of us may be.

Most of us will be called in other ways.  We are all likely to be called in some way to provide intercessory prayer, service or financial support to the discipling of all nations.  We are all definitely called to be proclaimers of the Good News by the testimony of our lives in Christ.  Every aspect of our calling will come by the flow of the supernatural drawing in our lives.  If we come into agreement with God's calling, we will approach our calling with the love and the zeal that the apostle Paul did.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for drawing us into Your service. We bless the name of Jesus for making us worthy to serve You here on earth and in heaven for all eternity.  We rejoice in knowing that we can disciple all nations by applying the gifting that we have received from the Holy Spirit.  We ask Father that You reveal to us the way or ways that You have set aside for us to proclaim the Good News.  May we approach our calling with the love and zeal of Your servant, Paul.

The Journey to Abandonment

Mark 10:21

And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”

When we reach heaven, we will be fully submitted to Jesus.  We will have released every single remaining carnal desire that we carried on earth.  

What Jesus is looking for from us as His disciples is the constant process of releasing of our carnal desires while we are still in our earthly bodies.  Only Our Lord achieved absolute abandonment to The Father.  Only He could.  

Very few of us have even neared the point of absolute abandonment to Jesus.  But all of us can commit ourselves to unconditional identification with Our Savior.  Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we can continuously recognize and renounce our earthly desires.  Through the grace of Almighty God and the saving work of Jesus Christ, we can begin shedding all of our shortcomings one by one until we find our place with Jesus for all eternity.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your precious love and provision.  We proclaim our love for You and humbly offer to You all that You have given us.  Father, we pray that we be led by the Holy Spirit to surrender all that we have, all that we will every have, all that we are and all that we will ever be to Your Son, Jesus.  May we take hold of the fullness of eternal life as we release our hold on our worldly possessions.

Walking with Him

Luke 9:57

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Every consideration of following Jesus, using logic and forgoing the direction of the Holy Spirit and the inspiration of the Holy Word, will end up in a decision of "no" or "not now."  Without faith in the Word of God or through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will follow the callings of our flesh which are never ready to be laid down at the feet of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Praise God that He knows us so well, loves us still, has mercy on us and provides His Son for our salvation.  May we claim all that He has set aside for us because He sees us, not in the flesh, but in the image of His Son.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for accepting us as heirs to Your kingdom.  We rejoice in knowing that You see us only in the image of Your Son who has washed away all of our iniquity with His precious blood.  We pray, Lord, that You open our minds and hearts to the fullness of Your Holy Word.  We ask that You show us how to fully surrender to the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We beseech You, Father, to give us the grace to fall at the feet of the Cross so that we may walk in the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus.

Perfect Love and Forgiveness

Matthew 5:22

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Jesus was very clear on His position about forgiving others.  There is no leeway given for those who are unwilling to forgive.

Jesus Christ is the essence of perfect love and forgiveness.  His perfect standard is the same standard that we are all called to meet.  When we fall short of this standard in our daily lives, we are commanded to right ourselves before we come to Him with our offerings and our prayers.  

The process of recognizing, reconciling and asking forgiveness for our shortcomings in sharing the perfect love and forgiveness of Jesus with the world around us is essential to our growth as disciples of Jesus.  It also prepares us to receive the fullness of His love and forgiveness in our own lives and makes us worthy to bring our prayers and offerings to the Father.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the loving kindness, the mercy and the grace that You have shown us.  We bless the name of Jesus who is the essence of Your perfect love and forgiveness.  We pray, Father, that we may become instruments of Your good work and vessels of Your perfect love and forgiveness.