Are you COMFORTable?

God, our Father, comforts us in all of our troubles and trials. This knowledge allows us to help provide comfort to others who are going thru hard times. Jesus Christ suffered for us so that we may gain Salvation. Because it should be our desire to be like Christ, then we can use our own sufferings to help others with their hard times in hope to lead them to the understanding and same Salvation through Jesus, our Savior. You should also encourage your Brothers in Christ, as even Christians continue to go through various tribulations, problems, and troubles. One day you will need encouragement as well. This is a brief synopsis of 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.

Through these verses, we see the need for comfort. First God provides comfort to all suffering. God came to earth in human form as His Son, Jesus Christ, to go through suffering. He did this so that we can seek comfort from Him. Since He has been through the ultimate in suffering for us, we know He knows what we are experiencing. When someone is trying to comfort us, say in the loss of a loved one, we say or use the excuse that "he or she doesn't know what we are going through, because they haven't been through what we have." We can't say that in the case of God. He has experienced and knows all of our pain. From the time we, as His children, turned our backs on Him and disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden, He feels every type of pain. Because of this we should always seek comfort from God first, through prayer and scripture, for any pain or strife that we go through. Then when God sends a brother or sister in Christ to provide comfort, we should not turn them away because of pride or anger, but accept their desire to help in the Love of Christ. Jesus did not suffer for nothing. He suffered for each one of us and that suffering will lead to our Salvation.

Second, God wants us to use our pain and suffering to provide comfort to the lost. Those that are lost don't have the knowledge of comfort in Christ. They are like being lost in a maze without a map. They need to experience the Love of Christ before they can receive the Hope that God will heal all suffering and Strife. 1 Corinthians tells us of Faith, Love, and Hope, and the Greatest is Love. They can't put their Faith in Jesus Christ and experience the Hope of Salvation until they receive and understand the Love of Christ. That is why Jesus tells us the two Greatest commandments are to Love God and to Love one another. As Christians, we love God. So we should follow that by loving and caring for others to the point that they see what God's love is about. We do this by fulfilling needs. Feeding the Hungry. Clothing the unclothed. But most of all sharing Christ so that they may to come to know where to turn in times of trouble.

Lastly, God wants us to provide encouragement and comfort to our brothers and sisters in Christ. Just because we get saved, doesn't mean that our pain, suffering, and trials will stop. Unfortunately, we tend to overlook our fellow Christians. Sometimes, even being part of the strife that is at the root of the downfall of the church. When one of our fellow church members may be going through a trial, we spend more time talking "about" them rather than talking "to" them. We should put our arm around them and help them get through their trial or tragedy. We should pray for them. We should provide words of encouragement to them. When we turn our backs on our fellow Christians who have fallen or are hurt, then Satan will use that to say to the non-believers, "You don't want to be a part of this Christian life. It will cause more pain. See how they treat each other. You don't need Christians. You don't need God. You'll get treated better at the local bar. They are nicer there." All to often, the church lives up to these accusations. So, in order to overcome Satan, we must show Love to our fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ. If we do that, then churches will have to add on to make room for the non-believers coming to seek the same comfort that is given in the Faith, Love, and Hope of Jesus Christ.

To Sum up, remember to endure thru your trials and sufferings being counting on God's comfort, Love the poor, needy, and least of these, and take your Brothers and Sisters in Christ arm in arm to form a everlasting chain of Love that will lead to the Hope in Salvation that Christ suffered for. May God Bless you, Comfort you, Strengthen you throughout 2010.

Christmas is Time for the Family

Christmas Time!!! One of my two favorite times of the year. Thanksgiving being the other. One of the reasons it is my favorite is because of Family Time. When I was a kid, I can remember the christmas time centered around the family. Christmas Dinners with the grands, uncles, aunts, and cousins, Midnight Madness shopping with the family, family trips to look at christmas lights, families coming to see the kids in the Church Christmas Plays. It doesn't seem like that anymore. Christmas seems to be more for office parties, making sure your kids get the latest techno gadgets, fusses about whether to say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. We, the "churchgoers", argue that the atheists, pagans, and Department Stores are taking Christ out of Christmas. However, it is the so-called Christians that are letting Christ slip from Christmas. Even we want to make sure that our kids have the latest in text messaging cellphones, so that they can spend more time talking with their friends. Thus leaving less time for Family-Oriented activities. Christ wants us to spend more time with our kids, teaching them the values of Love of Humanity. Do things with your family that are fun, like going to see a Nativity, baking cookies and other goodies, and Christmas shopping with the whole family. Then take them to do something good for someone. Go into one of those stores that says Happy Holidays, instead of Merry Christmas, buy a few toys for kids at a orphanage, a couple of jackets for the local homeless shelter, or food to make a dinner for a needy family. At the same time, make those pesky electronic devices off-limits. Even for your self. So what will your kids remember about their childhood Christmases? Parents, you have control of your child's memories. Make them special. Don't let them spend their time with electronic devices. Teach them the real Reason for the Season. The best way to fight those that want to take Jesus out of Christmas time, is to let God handle that fight. You just do what He says.....Love God and Love everyone. Help the poor. Teach your kids these things through action. Spend time with your kids. When you do this for your kids, non-believers will see that. God will use that to soften their hearts. Then they, too, will be saying Merry Christmas!!!