Enduring To Comfort Others

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NKJV):

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

One of the reasons why I started this blog was because God told me to record everything that happens to me. I was never much of a writer and frankly, I don`t like to write, but this blog was created out of obedience to God; to glorify His Name. I made a pact with the Lord that I would only write when He inspires me with the Holy Spirit to share something about His word to encourage, to reproach, to relate, and to testify of His character. Looking at these verses today, I was reminded of the reason for this blog and of the reason for my sufferings: it is to be able to comfort others as Jesus Himself being faithful to comfort me.

You may wonder what`s going on with me all these months since in the last few articles I haven`t shared much about myself. And the answer is: I have lots of pain, exhaustion, and frustration with the “endless” trials. Some days I can hardly cope to get up and make myself go to work, but during those days God blesses me the most either by the answer to one of my small needs (which always comes on time), or by encouraging me with His loving scriptures. In all this, He is there to comfort me and to sustain me. There haven`t been days when I asked Him something from the pit of my heart while weeping, and He ignored me because He walks side by side with me.

Looking at these verses that Paul wrote to Corinthians I can testify of the faithfulness of God that He comforts me and reminds me of being this example of endurance only so I could comfort others. It blesses me to know that there are those who read my story, my articles and they get comforted by the word of God or through my testimony of God`s faithfulness in my life. I have to admit that some days I get overwhelmed by His love when I see some blessings that He pours out just to encourage me and to remind me that He is there; that He hasn`t forgotten about me. My Father shows me mercies and comfort when I come to Him and honestly admit that I can`t go on anymore because my faith is stretching thin.

During those days, He shows me how this blog has affected over 65 countries all over the world, and although I don`t know who reads it, I get encouraged to know that the same comfort that He shows me, I have the honor to show this same comfort to others.

To give you an idea of how God`s been faithful to me, I have a final round of job interviews with the potential employer, and this is one of the biggest blessings that He sent my way as an answer to my financial needs. In the month when I was running low on paying my bills, there was only one option for me and that is to access my retirement fund to withdraw all the money to pay off majority of my debt. But in order to do that I had to resign from my current employer. I only pitched my resume to 3 places, and I heard back from the potential employer right the next day. They called me and scheduled an interview. Right after the interview, they checked my references and contacted me to come back for the final interview before the decision to hire me could be made. This is what I call God`s timing and not ours. My Father already knows my needs even before I ask for the answer, and He is faithful to provide for me financially, spiritually, and emotionally.

The final round of interviews was scheduled just on time for me to get the results of whether I would be hired or not to write out my budget for this month in such a way that I could cover all my bills. God comforted me with this answer during my 21 days of fast that I finished last month. On the 21^st day of fasting I went for my job interview. God`s been faithful to me than, and He is faithful to comfort me now.

We read that Jesus suffered, so He could comfort us with the same comfort He was comforted, so we couldn`t say that “God doesn`t know what we go through.” He does. Because Jesus Himself endured to the cross and to the death on the cross, so we could come to Him and ask to be comforted. Let us not forget about that!

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls (Hebrews 12:1-3 NKJV).

The Bible provides us with the endless examples of endurance and comfort testifying of God`s faithfulness to comfort and to deliver those relying on the Lord. Jesus Himself suffered on the cross enduring to the end serving to us as an example of the consolation which He provides to us.

¹⁴ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵ For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶ Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16 NKJV).

We can clearly see how Jesus, being a High Priest who intercedes before the throne of our Heavenly Father, Himself fights for us and endures with us to sustain us.

Testimony is a powerful weapon that we have as believers because it provides a statement of God`s character to those who do not yet know Him. We overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the testimony of believers.

¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death (Revelations 12:11 NKJV).

This is important that we realize the power that lies in the blood of Jesus shed on the cross and in the testimony of believers because John writes in the book of Revelation that this is how we overcome Satan who is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10).

I think a lot of times we get so tangled in the doctrines and theology itself that we forget of the power of our testimony. To me this was a great reminder today to realize that everything I write here serves as a powerful weapon against Satan.

What`s more, I think sharing a testimony humbles oneself because it requires revealing imperfections in one`s own heart while admitting them. I would be a hypocrite if I said that I live by the word of God and never fall because I fail every day in one way or another. This is why I need the second part of the weapon: the blood of the Lamb that washes away my sins and brings me back to the love of God.

When reading these scriptures it boosts my faith knowing that sufferings that I endure are for the reason to be comforted by Jesus Himself, so I could comfort others when seeing someone in the same situation. It softens my heart and makes me compassionate to the others when I endure. When we need comfort ourselves, we are more prone to provide it to others in need because it reminds us what we went through and what we needed at the time.

Let us seek being that testimony of God`s grace and love to the others while we endure ourselves. Jesus is faithful to comfort us, so let us comfort others with the same consolation that we are comforted. When God puts on the weight scale our tribulations, He counter weights them with His love and comfort to engrave in our hearts the fact that He never leaves those who trust in Him. If He is faithful to provide for me, He would be faithful to provide for you too!

⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.