Great devotional resources:
|
|
11/17/04
"Each one should use whatever gift he has
received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various
forms." 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
==========
Someone said, "Thanksgiving, to be truly thanksgiving, is first thanks, then
giving." You may think that you have nothing to offer anyone. But that is not
true for any Christian. God gifts all of His children when He imparts His grace.
These giftings are given in order to spread His grace even further.
One gift everyone has been given is the ability to comfort others. Comfort
means, among other things, "to soothe in time of affliction or distress, to ease
physically or relieve, to help or give assistance." The word is rooted in a
French word that means "to strengthen."
Every human being has the capacity to provide some form of comfort to another
human being. Whether it be a foot rub or a kind word or a plate of food or a
gift of money or something else entirely.
How can you know what your special comfort capacity is? A clue is offered in 2
Corinthians 1:3-8 (NIV): "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in
all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow
over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are
distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for
your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we
suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in
our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort."
Look to the troubles, distresses, suffering, hurts you have experienced to learn
your capacity for comforting others. These tender spots in your heart are the
sources for offering encouragement, caring, and help to others.
Thank God for the troubles you have endured and for the pain He has walked you
through since now you are able to minister to others going through where you
have already been.
-- Stephen R. Clark
==========
Stephen (Stephen@StephenRClark.com) resides in Fishers, Indiana and operates
FishersWorship.com and FishersFind.com. He is a professional writer and
communications consultant.
These weekly email devotionals
are provided by FishersWorship.com. The copyright is owned by the author. You
are welcome to use them in your church periodicals or on your church web site as
long as you give complete attribution that mentions both FishersWorship.com as
the source, and that it is copyrighted by the author. For example: "This
devotional is provided courtesy of FishersWorship.com and used by permission.
Copyright (c) 2005 by the AUTHOR. All rights reserved."
Any Fishers, Indiana area pastor, church leader, or other resident may
contribute devotionals for consideration. Go to
www.FishersWorship.com/devotions/default.htm for more information.
Any questions about these devotions or FishersWorship.com should be directed to
Stephen R. Clark, Epiphany Lane Productions, P.O. Box 868, Fishers, Indiana
46038, (317) 435-9673,
info@FishersWorship.com.