Monday, May 29: “Crusin’ thru 2 Cor, Part I”

2 Corinthians 1: 3: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of mercies and God of all comfort.”

Although “the God of all comfort” sounds like the title of a profile article in an Interior Design magazine, St. Paul’s Greek word for comfort, ‘fortis’, is more suitable to describe a drill sergeant than an overstuffed couch. It means ‘strength’, not ‘pat on the back.’ Sometimes bringing encouragement to the suffering requires sympathy or empathy, and other times a little forceful fact-facing is needed. Whichever, God is the God of all (kinds of) comfort, and if you expect Him to always respond to your situation with gentle pampering, you might be disappointed.