"Comforted to Comfort" September 17 Readings: Isaiah 45-46, 2 Corinthians 1:1–11, Psalm 106:28–34, Proverbs 23:6–8

  

Reading the Bible in 2025

Each day this year, we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and a part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. 

NOTE: If you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!

Bible Readings: Isaiah 45-46, 2 Corinthians 1:1–11, Psalm 106:28–34, Proverbs 23:6–8

    Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version 

Daily Devotional: Comforted to Comfort

Not only do I have a long way to go to be like Jesus, but I also have a long way to go to be like the Apostle Paul. He suffered so much for the cause of Christ. In today's reading, we begin the book of 2 Corinthians, a book that contains a detailed description (in chapter 11) of the horrors inflicted on Paul in the service of the Savior.

And I go into a fetal position when someone complains that one of my sermons was too long!

So many of Paul's teachings are about how God uses suffering to grow us, strengthen us, and use us in his service. Even in the midst of pain and hurt, he was looking for a way to glorify God and spread the truth of Christ. He did not whine, moan, or turn aside; he relied on the strength of God in the weakness he felt.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Paul made another in his series of astounding statements.

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.

In the persecution, hardship, and suffering he endured, Paul sought God the Father and found him worthy of praise. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who is the One who truly comforts us when we are afflicted. These were not just cliches for Paul; it was a testimony! He had experienced that comfort when he was beaten, when he was arrested, when they attempted to put him to death. He sought God, and God comforted him with his presence and power.

Paul's hope in that was not just that he would receive that comfort, but that he would pass the comfort he received from the Lord on to those who needed that same comfort. Paul was not only comforted for himself but also for those whom he could comfort as a result of what God had done in him.

This is a fundamental truth of Christianity. What God does in me is done not only for me but for those around me whom God will affect through me. God blesses me so that I will bless others. God comforts me so that I can comfort others.

Father, bless me so that I may be a blessing. Grant me your grace, your presence, and your strength so that I can be a source of your grace, your presence, and your strength in the lives of others. 

Consider God's Word:

Which of these four passages spoke most clearly to you today? 

Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages? 

Is there something in your life that needs to change?

Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to? 

How can you pass on your blessings, giving that which you have received from God to others?