Written ~ 08-26-2024
Read 2 Corinthians Chapter One
2 Corinthians 1
Today we are starting a new Book of the New Testament! 2 Corinthians is the second letter Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, he wrote this letter not long after the first one was written. His greeting included Timothy, who was a frequent travelling companion and helped Paul greatly in their missionary work. Not only does Paul send his greeting to the church in Corinth but he also extends his greeting to all the believers in Greece.
2 Corinthians 1:3-7…
3 “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.”
First off, let me join in with Paul and give praise to God, our Father in heaven, the Father of our Savior Jesus Christ. Praise You Lord, I lift Your Name high, I praise Your Holy Name – Abba, Elohim – I praise You Yahweh, my Lord, my Savior! You are my God, and I praise You!
How wonderful it is to know that my comfort comes from my glorious, all-powerful Father in Heaven – His comfort compares to no other! I know when I take refuge in His everlasting arms, I will be deeply comforted, troubles can melt away when I give them over to my God. “He is the source of all comfort,” that means I am not to look to this world for comfort. What kind of comfort would I find? Food? Alcohol? Worldly entertainment? No, that kind of comfort is disappointing and unhealthy.
My Source of Comfort is Always my Father in Heaven!
I love the definition of “comfort” – When you look over these definitions; think about how they can apply to God’s Comfort – It’s pretty AWESOME!
- Giving Strength and Hope
- Easing Grief or Trouble
- Giving Strengthening Aid
- Giving Consolation in time of Trouble or Worry
- Giving the feeling of Relief or Encouragement
- Alleviation of Grief or Anxiety
When you and I go through troubling situations and no comfort is found in our “go-to” things, whatever that might be… let’s be diligent in finding our comfort in our Father who loves and cares for us more than anybody or anything this world could ever provide.
When we are comforted, what’s the next step? God has actually given us a great gift in our comfort because now we can come alongside someone else who is in desperate need of comfort. We have the opportunity to point them to the Father. If we ourselves don’t know what true comfort is, how can we show others the way to the Father?
Paul and his companions knew real suffering and trouble. Their lives were at stake many times over the course of their missionary journeys. But who did they rely on for comfort?
2 Corinthians 1:8b-9…
8b “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.”
They relied only on God. Why did they have such confidence in the Father? He is the One who raises the dead!
We need to take cues from Paul and stop relying on ourselves to get us through our troubles.
2 Corinthians 1:10b-11…
10b “We have placed our confidence in Him, and He will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.”
When we place our full confidence in the Lord, it is in Him we will go to first for everything. How many times have we tried everything else to provide us with comfort and come away empty? When we learn that our comfort only comes from the Lord, we will begin to go to Him first and learn to rely on Him for everything.
When you hear that someone is praying for you, does that give you peace? I know sometimes it can feel a little cliché when you hear the words “I am praying for you.” Especially if you do not rely on the Lord to help you through your troubling situations. But if you have people in your life who you know are lifting your troubles to the Father on your behalf, it is a huge blessing! Then as we see answers to those prayers, when we see the Hand of God moving in your situation, we can all rejoice together! It’s important for every one of us to have some strong prayer warriors within our core group of friends, that way we know our troubles are being prayed for, especially when we are having a difficult time praying ourselves.
Wow! What an awesome way to start 2 Corinthians, don’t you agree!
Back in the verses from 1 Corinthians 16:5-8, Paul gave the believers in Corinth his itinerary. He wanted to visit them, so he told them after he left Ephesus he would travel through Macedonia before reaching Corinth. Now in 2 Corinthians 1:15-16 Paul changes his travel plans so he can visit Corinth before and after his trip through Macedonia. In doing so, Paul goes into quite a lengthy “speech” about questioning a “Yes” as being a “Yes” and a “No” as being a “No.” He didn’t want anyone to feel he was being wishy-washy in his decisions.
2 Corinthians 1:15-20…
15 “Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice— 16 first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia. Then you could send me on my way to Judea. 17 You may be asking why I changed my plan. Do you think I make my plans carelessly? Do you think I am like people of the world who say “Yes” when they really mean “No”? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” 19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” He always does what He says. 20 For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for His glory.
Does your “Yes” mean “Yes?” And does your “No” mean “No?” Can someone else trust when you say “Yes” or “No?” Do you follow through with what you said? Or do you flip flop between your “Yes’s” and “No’s?” I think why Paul went into this whole train of thought was so the believers he was writing to would believe his “Yes” and “No” even though he changed his mind about his travel plans. But what he was really trying to instill was that God’s “Yes” is always “Yes” and God’s “No” is always “No.” So we can always place our confidence in the Lord because when He says He is going to do something, He is going to do it.
Let’s go back for a moment to what Paul said in verses 1:13-14, I think it’s important to note what he said because it truly is the basis to all of the letters he writes.
2 Corinthians 1:13-14a…
13 “Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, 14 even if you don’t understand us now.”
If you have read the Book of Romans, then the Book of 1 Corinthians you have seen firsthand that Paul does not mince words his letters. He tells the straightforward truth about issues he sees going on in the believer’s heart. He gets to the bottom of these issues and sets a new course for the believer to follow. That’s why when we read these Books, chapter after chapter we must examine our own lives and see where God needs to step in and take over. We can’t read these New Testament letters and believe them only to be something for the first century believer. Every word written in the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is just that! The entirety of Scripture has been given to us even for today. Some of the terminology might be different, maybe difficult to understand at times, but every single principle is laid out in such a way that we can find purpose and application to everything we read.
We will see as we continue now in the Book of 2 Corinthians that Paul will continue with his straightforwardness, but we will also see his encouragement to all of us.
After Paul drilled into us that we are to mean our “Yes’s” and “No’s,” he says the following…
2 Corinthians 1:21-22…
21 “It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22 and He has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything He has promised us.”
In The Message Version (MSG) verses 1:20-22 are translated this way…
2 Corinthians 1:20-22 (MSG)…
20-22 “Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting His Yes within us. By His Spirit He has stamped us with His eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what He is destined to complete.”
When God says He is going to do a mighty work in your life, you can believe with confidence He will do it. It will be difficult at times in the waiting. But when our comfort comes from God, we can get through anything.
Thank You Father for giving me Your comfort in my times of trouble, stress or anxiety. Thank You Father for giving me the ability to comfort others through the comfort You give me. I pray for my family and for my friends who are in search of comfort today. I pray that they will seek You first for the comfort they need, and I pray that they will find You.
I love You Lord – My God – My Comforter.
~AMEN~