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Relevant Reflections
by Rebecca Livermore
Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the consolation with which he was comforted in you, when he told us of your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more (2 Corinthians 7:6,7 NKJV).
Discouragement is a common problem in today’s world. The good news is, we have a God who comforts the downcast, and also sends people to comfort them. If you’re in need of comfort today, my prayer is that God Himself will comfort you, and will send others to your side to comfort you as well.
But what I’d really like to address today is the snowball effect of comforting others. Note that in the above passage of Scripture, God comforted Paul by sending Titus to him. But it didn’t stop there; Paul was comforted even more when he heard about how Titus had been comforted by the church in Corinth.
When we comfort someone, we seldom think of how the comfort we give them, will in turn comfort others. If you take this to the logical conclusion, the “others” who are comforted will, perhaps, comfort more people, who will perhaps comfort more people, and thus, the snowball effect of comforting others continues.
We have no way of really knowing how far the word of encouragement we speak today will go, but it is an amazing thing to think about. Taking the time to encourage someone today may have a far-reaching impact, even beyond what we can imagine. How encouraging is that!
So comfort someone today. Give a word of encouragement or a smile, or perhaps lend a hand to a friend or stranger in need. You never know who might be comforted and encouraged by your one act of kindness!
Father, we thank You that You are the God of all comfort. We thank You that You are always present, and always willing to comfort our hearts as we turn to You. We also thank You that you use others to comfort us, and in turn use us to comfort others. Help us to take the time to comfort and encourage people on a regular basis, starting today. -- Amen.
Thought:
© 2007 by Rebecca Livermore
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