| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Sanctification” Our Bible verse for today: “Praise be to God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort …” 2 Corinthians 1:3 (NIV) Our thought for today: “This is how God does it” Recently the Lord has retaught and reinforced for me an important insight about Himself, and I have decided to share it with you this morning. It’s a bit personal and painful, but it’s an important truth about God that I believe we all need to remember. So, I will share with you out of my personal experience. I have always been a family man. Being a husband and father have been two of the greatest joys of my life and I have always put a lot of myself into those roles. Family has been a huge part of my life. But three years ago, my daughter Tracy died very suddenly. Then just ten weeks ago, my wife Linda died. Then three weeks after that, my son Rick died unexpectedly. Those loses hit me hard and deep, and honestly, I’m still grieving all of them – especially the loss of Linda, my life partner for 47 years. The pain and the grief are especially tough late in the evenings in this empty house, and in the middle of the night when I wake up and realize she isn’t there. During those times I often find myself wondering about 2 Corinthians 1:3. God is the God of all comfort? Really? The Christian thing to say at this point, of course, is that in those moments I have this overwhelming awareness of God’s presence and it’s a tangible presence that I can feel. But … no. Not most of the time. There have been those special moments … but honestly, they are rare. Most of the time the presence of God is a Biblical truth I am convinced is true and which I have chosen to believe, but His presence is not a tangible presence. Linda was physical. There was no doubt about her presence. But God is spiritual. He is not physical. His presence isn’t the same as Linda’s presence, and therefore it doesn’t replace Linda’s presence. But wait. Maybe it does, but in a different way. The full passage of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 reads like this: “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.” What that passage teaches is that God comforts us through each other. This is what Jesus was teaching in John 15:5 in His parable of the vine and the branches. Jesus is the branch. He lives His life and performs His ministry here on earth through His people – He produces His fruit through His people. What that means for this discussion is that most of the time, most of the comfort God wants to bring to us comes through other Christians. And so, as I think back over these painful times of loss in my life, I remember all the ways the people of God poured out the love and comfort from God upon me and my family. And suddenly I realize that God is indeed the God of all comfort. But the way He delivers that much-needed comfort to us is through His faithful servants. So, in the middle of the night, when I’m awake and missing my wife and needing to sense some comfort from God, He reminds me of all the ways He has delivered it, time and time again, through His faithful servants. And then those warm fuzzy feelings of comfort and peace begin to wash over me. That mystical, spiritual experience of God’s subtle presence that I was seeking before? There it is. It just came to me through the sweet memories of how His people have delivered it for Him over and over and over again. If you need comfort from God, look for it from His people. They will be the conduits through which He ministers to your hurting soul. But also, that means that each of us must be that for other people. If other people in your orbit need to experience God’s comfort, there’s a good chance He wants to deliver it to them through you. That’s how God does it. God bless, Pastor Jim (If you like what you’re reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville |
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Oak Hill Baptist Church 
Pastor, your strength and encouragement are amazing. Jesus loves you and takes care of you. Thank you for being there!
Thank you Jo. You are very kind. God bless.