When You Hurt (47 of 66)
Series: Route 66: A Road Trip Through the Bible
Tony Thomas
2 Corinthians
We have experienced an extended season of loss. Since Fall Break it's been one person after another. I received one of those calls last Sunday night and immediately texted Steve. His reply was honest: ''I don't know what to say!''
Sometimes, you feel like a Mack truck has run over you ... deliberately! Ever felt that way? By a boyfriend? Your employer? A coach? Or a co-worker? Maybe a parent has left you feeling deeply wounded.
Maybe it's not a person; it's just the circumstances of life. Your employer was forced to downsize ... or your health took a turn for the worse ... or a financial risk did not pan out ... or a misunderstanding has separated best friends.
What you need is an encouraging word or a helping hand. But no one notices. Or they keep their distance just to be safe. Or maybe you have burned a bridge.
When Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he was writing a troubled church that was filled with believers who were hurting. In Paul's first letter he corrected an assortment of problems. Unfortunately, things did not improve. In fact, they got worse!
So Paul was forced to make what he called ''... a painful visit'' (2:1) to confront the troublemakers. Then, Titus sent word that things had improved. That motivated Paul to write 2 Corinthians to express his appreciation for the improvement.
One of the key words in 2 Corinthians is ''comfort.'' The verb is used 18 times, and the noun is used 11 times. For example, in chapter 1 Paul writes:
3 The Father of compassion and the God of all com-fort, 4 comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble.
There's an old poem that contains this thought:
Two men looked out prison bars;
One saw mud - the other stars.
Whether you see mud or stars depends upon your attitude. When misfortune comes your way ... when one disaster follows another ... when the religious c ...
Series: Route 66: A Road Trip Through the Bible
Tony Thomas
2 Corinthians
We have experienced an extended season of loss. Since Fall Break it's been one person after another. I received one of those calls last Sunday night and immediately texted Steve. His reply was honest: ''I don't know what to say!''
Sometimes, you feel like a Mack truck has run over you ... deliberately! Ever felt that way? By a boyfriend? Your employer? A coach? Or a co-worker? Maybe a parent has left you feeling deeply wounded.
Maybe it's not a person; it's just the circumstances of life. Your employer was forced to downsize ... or your health took a turn for the worse ... or a financial risk did not pan out ... or a misunderstanding has separated best friends.
What you need is an encouraging word or a helping hand. But no one notices. Or they keep their distance just to be safe. Or maybe you have burned a bridge.
When Paul wrote 2 Corinthians, he was writing a troubled church that was filled with believers who were hurting. In Paul's first letter he corrected an assortment of problems. Unfortunately, things did not improve. In fact, they got worse!
So Paul was forced to make what he called ''... a painful visit'' (2:1) to confront the troublemakers. Then, Titus sent word that things had improved. That motivated Paul to write 2 Corinthians to express his appreciation for the improvement.
One of the key words in 2 Corinthians is ''comfort.'' The verb is used 18 times, and the noun is used 11 times. For example, in chapter 1 Paul writes:
3 The Father of compassion and the God of all com-fort, 4 comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble.
There's an old poem that contains this thought:
Two men looked out prison bars;
One saw mud - the other stars.
Whether you see mud or stars depends upon your attitude. When misfortune comes your way ... when one disaster follows another ... when the religious c ...
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