An eternal consolation

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

Primary Text

“Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,” 2 Thessalonians 2v16 (KJV)

“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting comfort and hope, which we don’t deserve,” 2 Thessalonians 2v16 (TLB)

 A consolation can be seen as a source of comfort. Synonyms for it include comfort, solace, relief and support. Now 2 Corinthians 1v3-5 (AMP) lets us know that God is a God of comfort: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of sympathy (pity and mercy) and the God [Who is the Source] of every comfort (consolation and encouragement), Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God. For just as Christ’s [own] sufferings fall to our lot [as they overflow upon His disciples, and we share and experience them] abundantly, so through Christ comfort (consolation and encouragement) is also [shared and experienced] abundantly by us.” Thank God for His comfort, that we can also pass on to others. But a wonderful part of His comfort is that it is an everlasting comfort and hope. For example, we have hope not only in this life but in that which is to come. Paul for example makes the argument that if Christ was not raised from the dead, then there is no resurrection and then it is only valuable to be a Christian in this life. But Christ was raised from the dead and we would also be caught up with Him – hallelujah! We therefore have cause to rejoice because regardless of what this world brings, we know that something better, greater and more glorious awaits us.

Supplementary Text

“And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back. 1 Corinthians 15v17-23 (NLT)

Prayer

Lord God Almighty, thank You for Your everlasting comfort and hope in Jesus name, amen. Please give us a deep understanding of what it is and the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that we might be filled with all the fullness of God in Jesus name, amen.