2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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. 
2 Corinthians 1:2-5 (NKJV)

Grace and Peace from our Father. Blessed be our Father who is also the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are co-inheritors of the kingdom of God (see co-heirs with Christ Rom 8:17). For we are not of the ones in the old Law who are separated from God by a veil. We have access through and with Jesus, Son of Man, Son of God. We are the children who have a Father full of mercies and comfort to look toward. We have the Spirit of the Son with us to look with.

So as we have Christ in us and Christ suffered and died, we too share in this suffering and death from the world of darkness to the world of light. It is glorious light.  As we are loved, we also love. As we are comforted, we also comfort.

The suffering of Jesus is part of us as is His consolation. God’s mercy run through us to the lost and the suffering because we abound in consolation. It is in our co-inheritance with Christ that we may offer this consolation. As Jesus was unconditional in His love, we too are unconditional in our love. If He is in our hearts how shall we deny our hearts? It is our new being. We now act in accordance with the Living God. We seek His kingdom yet we already have achieved His kingdom. Do His work here and now. Walk in His footsteps and do your work here to comfort and love. It is who we are.

Paul praises the Lord our Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because we are all together with
God, with Jesus. His warmth and comfort is every part of who we are and if we seek to see Him in us, we will act in the ability and will with Him in us. This is truly a time to praise God that He sent the Savior of ALL mankind. Yet the very same is part of us and as we partake in the suffering with Him, we convey the comfort through Him to a suffering world.

Bring hope to the hopeless. We shall love. We shall comfort.

Rick

Nov 2011