March 23, 2009 2 Corinthians 1:2-11

Paul Gives Thanks to God

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort. He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us. We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ. If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have. Our hope for you is strong, knowing that you share in our sufferings and also in the comfort we receive. Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the troubles we suffered in Asia. We had great burdens there that were beyond our own strength. WE even gave up hope of living. Truly, in our own hearts we believed we would die. But this happened so we would not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises people from the dead. God saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We have pur our hope in him, and he will save us again. And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us--that God blessed us because of their many prayers. ~2 Corinthians 1:3-11~



In this passage, Paul is acknowledging God for who He is. He starts off by praising God. Then he goes on to acknowledging the things God has done for him and the Corinthians. Furthermore, he goes on to telling the Corinthians about their sufferings and how, although they were suffering and gave up everything, God took that opportunity to show them that He is always with them, no matter what. That we need to trust not in our own understandings, but in Him. This passage is a simple passage of praise and gratitude towards God. But I believe it is a really important passage. Throughout our lives, we take many things for granted, we rely on ourselves, trusting in our own understanding...we forget to lean on God at times...we forget to thank Him and praise Him...and etc. We should always remember that God is with us no matter what. We need to constantly thank Him, and constantly praise Him in everything we do. We also need to learn to lean on Him, to trust in Him. And finally, we need to pray about these things, and have hope/faith in God.