2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Rachel Workman: This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy.
I am writing to God’s church in Corinth and to all of his holy people throughout Greece.^[a]
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
³ All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. ⁴ He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. ⁵ For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. ⁶ Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. ⁷ We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us. I love how Paul states that God is the source of all comfort. If we are looking for comfort anywhere else than God we won't find it. He is the source of all comfort.
⁸ We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters,^[b] about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. ⁹ In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. ¹¹ And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety. I love how Paul said and you are helping us by praying for us. So in our time of need when someone asks what they can do to help instead of saying nothing answer pray. Their prayers will help.

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John Burnett:  ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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.  Paul is so eloquent when it comes to praising God.  Paul loved the Corinthians to the point that he and Timothy were distressed concerning their salvation and their comfort.  We are promised the necessities of life but more so, we are promised suffering in this life because we belong to Jesus Christ.  These sufferings should bring us comfort and produce endurance to withstand future sufferings.

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,^[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.  God gives us trials, some of which we think we cannot endure, to make us lean on Him more and glorify His Son when He answers our prayers.  The world is persecuting Christians and Israel but this despair should bring us comfort that His return is coming soon.  Come quickly Lord Jesus.

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Allen Michaels :  1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise to the God of All Comfort

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. Many of us think that when God comforts us, our problems immediately go away. We sometimes think of God as some kind of Magic Wand. But if that were always so, we would turn to God only out of a desire to be relieved of pain and not out of love for him. We must understand that being comforted can also mean receiving strength, encouragement, and hope to deal with our troubles. The more we suffer the more comfort God gives us. We just need to ask. Every trial we endure will help us comfort other people who are suffering similar troubles. ⁶ 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. ⁷ 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. Just as God comforted Paul, God would also comfort the Corinthian believers when they suffered for their faith. He would give them strength to endure.

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, We often depend on our own skills and abilities when life is going good. After all, we don’t even need God when things are going good. But, the second our life turns to crap, we turn to God because we feel unable to help ourselves; funny how that works. That’s when we make all sorts of promises that we know we’ll never keep. Depending on God is a realization of our own powerlessness without him and our need for his constant touch in our lives. God is our source of power, and we receive his help by keeping in touch with him; through the good times and the bad. With this attitude of dependence, problems will drive us to God rather than away from him. We must learn how to rely on God daily. ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. Paul requested prayer for himself and his companions as they traveled to spread God’s message. We must pray for pastors, teachers, missionaries and others who are spreading the gospel. Satan will challenge anyone making a real difference for God.

Here’s a site for the true definition of a missionary. http://www.persecution.com/  http://www.persecutionblog.com/

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Tomorrow's reading for 2 Corinthians 1:12-16

¹² We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness^[c] and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you. ¹³ Our letters have been straightforward, and there is nothing written between the lines and nothing you can’t understand. I hope someday you will fully understand us, ¹⁴ even if you don’t understand us now. Then on the day when the Lord Jesus^[d] returns, you will be proud of us in the same way we are proud of you.

¹⁵ Since I was so sure of your understanding and trust, I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice— ¹⁶ first on my way to Macedonia and again when I returned from Macedonia.^[e] Then you could send me on my way to Judea.