The cliché, “there’s
two-sides to a coin,” certainly applies to our consideration of how the church
shares with one another in the comforts of Christ. The, “through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too,” is preceded
by, “as we share abundantly in Christ’s
sufferings.”[1]
The, “you will also share in our comfort,”
is preceded by, “as you share in our
sufferings.”[2]
The part of
this that stood out to me the most this morning was the declaration of, “if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we
suffer.”[3]
The lesson for
me was that we are not to think of comfort as replacing suffering, but as
joining our suffering. While we may wish that all comfort was of the
replacement variety (something that will be the case in heaven), the comfort
Paul spoke about was that which weaves itself through whatever afflictions we
experience.
This is why Paul
says that God “comforts us IN all our
affliction.” It is why God comforts us so we can “comfort those who are IN any affliction.”[4] The
connection between “comfort” and “in affliction” is significant. They are
two sides of the same coin, two friends traveling in the same direction.
If, then, we
would “experience” the divine
comforts of “the Father of mercies and
God of all comfort,”[5]we
must “patiently endure” the
sufferings of Christ. If we refuse to endure the sufferings of Christ by
denying our Savior in threatening circumstances, we cannot expect to know the
extent of comfort God is offering us. If we endure our sufferings with all
kinds of complaining, we cannot expect to know the comforts of God for those
who endure patiently.
While we may
not understand how comfort and patient endurance of suffering go hand in hand,
we can see how it is revealed by God that this is the case. We can begin by
asking God to fulfill in us his desire that we patiently endure, by thanking
him that Paul and the other apostles patiently endured, and seeking the
fellowship of other believers who want to patiently endure the sufferings of
Christ. We can pray, “your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven,”[6]
and, “Father, if you are willing, remove
this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”[7]
9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of
suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has
called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm,
strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever.
Amen.[8]
The day that
eternal rest replaces our temporal suffering will come soon enough. In the
meantime, let us join with the brotherhood of believers to experience all the
comforts of God in all our sufferings with Christ.
© 2014 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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