2. 1:3-4
• Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who
comforts us in all our troubles so that we may be able to
comfort those experiencing any trouble with the comfort
with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
• God comforts our troubles so then we can comfort others
and minister to them. This is from or of any trouble. God
is my comfort in my life and He will see me through what
seems to be the darkest part of my life.
3. 4:8-11
• We are experiencing trouble on every side, but are not crushed; we are
perplexed, but not driven to despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned;
we are knocked down, but not destroyed, always carrying around in our body
the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our
body. For we who are alive are constantly being handed over to death for
Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal
body.
• When times of troubles come and have come into our lives, Jesus will not
abandon us and will get us through the enemies traps and schemes that
surround our lives. No harm can come to our souls and our spirits. The only
harm that can come is if they harm our body and that is the only harm that
can happen.
4. 4:16-18
• Therefore we do not despair, but even if our physical body is wearing away,
our inner person is being renewed day by day. 17For our momentary, light
suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all
comparison 18because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what
cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be
seen is eternal.
• At times, I do feel as if I am getting much older that my body is wearing out.
Perhaps some is my age. Perhaps some is the amount of pain and hard
ache I have been to. Perhaps it is realizing that Heajen is almost 2 years old.
However, now with the Spirit living inside of me and guiding me, though my
body is slowly passing my spirit gets younger and younger. Is this not an
awesome concept? That if I focus my eyes on the hidden things of the world,
I am getting younger in my soul.
5. 12:9-10
But he said to me, "My grace is enough for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness." So then, I will boast most gladly about my
weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me. 10Therefore I am
content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and
difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
• We need to boast in our weaknesses as those are the ones that Christ
empowers them. Too much time I feel is spent in grieving in our weaknesses.
However God does not want to work in our strengths but rather our
weaknesses. He wants to empower us and he wants to change us and what
better way then by our weaknesses.