Tag: suffering
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When I Am Weak . . .
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He…
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The Believer’s Empathy
2 Corinthians 1:7-8 “Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of…
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Prepared to Comfort
1 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” One of the…
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Preaching (to Ourself)
Mark 16:15 “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” In thinking about the above verse the other day, a thought came to me that I’d not considered before. The primary intent of this command from Jesus, a command that has come to be known…
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The Gift of Hope
1 Thessalonians 4:13 “. . . others . . . who have no hope.” As I’ve been thinking about all the sickness that has affected my family and friends of late, the verse above has come to my mind. Cancer: no one wants to hear that word, especially as it applies to themselves or a…
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The Easy Yoke?
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” How easily we can misinterpret the Scriptures if we fail…
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When Burdens Are Shared
2 Corinthians 1:8 “For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” Do you like others to think that you have it all together? Are you careful to show the “stiff upper…
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Paradoxes
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” The Christian life is a life full of paradoxes. For example, we are told to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father…
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For Those Who Wait
Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall…
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All Things?
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” As with any other form of written communication, when reading the Bible and individual statements within it, it is always wise to consider the context. In an extreme example of this, the Bible says this about Judas: “He went and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5). …
To Encourage You 