May the mumbling commence!
We are each other’s comfort in times of trouble. Our distresses help to prepare us for helping others who are going through similar distressing times. As Christians, we have an unshakeable hope even in the midst of trials and sufferings. These are the words of comfort that Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in his third letter to them – the letter that we know as 2 Corinthians. Read a couple of excerpts from the first chapter:
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 have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 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. (Verses 3-7)
But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (Verses 18-22)
I know that growing up in my circumstances has not taught me to be a good at waiting. So much in the culture surrounding me is geared for instant gratification. Sometimes the troubles I feel are more attributable to these excesses and extremes. With these, I know that I will reap what I sow, BUT I am in denial – like much of America.
However, when we extend ourselves to live the lifestyle that Jesus the Christ preached and lived, we have a promise of comfort and security that can be found nowhere else. We need this promise of comfort and security; because when we live the lives that Christ would have us live, we will find trouble and persecution. These trials will help us to minister to others who experience the same things. We will have others who will share not only in our comforts but also in our sufferings.
The spoken “Amen” that the people of Christ utter goes to the glory of God. And to glorify God is our best and greatest purpose. God created us for this very purpose – to glorify Him.
As we live our lives in a Christ-like way, we receive the anointing of God and we receive His seal of ownership and we receive the deposit of God’s own Holy Spirit. That deposit guarantees what is to come. Though we receive other deposits of guarantee from humanity, the only deposit that can truly be trusted is the deposit of God in the Spirit. The promised future will happen in God’s time, but at least we know that it will happen!
The promises of God all boil down to God saying: “Yes, you are my special chosen people, and I love you.”
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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