Matthew 1-2 (ESV) by Wordle*

Today’s reading is Matthew 1:1-2:23.

“…and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar…and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab…And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah…” (Matthew 1:3-6).

Wow! Look at Jesus’ family. They are messed up. Tamar pretended to be a harlot to be impregnated by her disobedient father-in-law. Salmon married a harlot. David committed adultery, murder, and wife-mulitplying, then had a child by the woman of the man he murdered. This is where Jesus came from? Really?

Maybe something good can come from my family too.

I am comforted today. If God could make a silk purse out of the sow’s ear of Jesus’ family, then God can do great things through me and my family as well. I don’t have to despair because we aren’t good enough or like someone else’s family. The great issue is not how great my family is but how great my God is. That’s where I’m going to rest today.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS. What struck you in today’s reading? You can add your input by clicking here.

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*Today’s illustration was generated by the creative tool at Wordle.net. You can find all my wordles here.

Today’s reading is II Corinthians 6:1-7:16.

II Corinthians 7:6-7 really hit me today: “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.”

We pray to the God of comfort. He is a great and merciful God who has compassion on us in our struggles and provides comfort, mercy, and grace. However, my tendency is to think that I’ll pray for comfort and get some kind of peaceful, easy feeling. In this text, we see God working through Titus to comfort Paul when he was downcast. It wasn’t some internal miracle of God’s handiwork that granted Paul’s request. Rather, it was Titus by the empowering of God who brought Paul comfort.

The question coming into my mind is not, however, who will comfort me today. Rather, I wonder if I’m living in such a way that I can be of comfort to others. Who of my friends, family, brethren are praying for comfort and God would use me if I would only get outside myself. I can be part of God’s amazing plan if I will just look beyond me and my wants to find others to comfort.

We can be God’s comfort to others when we submit to Him, look beyond ourselves, and serve others.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

P.S. What did you get out of today’s reading?

Why do we give Thomas such a bad rap as if he was the only apostle who did not believe. Read Mark’s gospel and see how much Jesus rebuked all the apostles because they did not believe even the eyewitness testimony of other disciples. None of them believed until they saw Jesus.

Be that as it may, the example of Thomas in John 20:24-29 comforts me. Thomas was a great man and a great Christian. Yet, he struggled with doubt sometimes. What this tells me is even when I am at my worst in faith, I am no worse than anyone else. If an apostle who had been with Jesus for three years might struggle with faith, then why would I be surprised if I do.

Struggling with faith doesn’t mean I’m a bad Christian. It doesn’t mean I’m lost. It means I’m just a growing Christian like the apostles were. I have no idea all the ways in which God will use me in the years to come. Whatever ways it is, it will be to His glory even through my struggles. 

That comforts me.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC

PS: If you would like to read or hear a sermon I preached from this text about Thomas at his worst, go to the following link:

Encountering Thomas at His Worst

There were a couple of things in today’s reading that stood out, but how can I bypass these chapters without following the command at the end of them to comfort and encourage you with these words:

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to me the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

I Thessalonians 4:13-17 (ESV)

There are two things that comfort me in this passage. 

1. If we live by faith, we can die by faith.

We do not have to face death with fear. We believe Jesus died and was resurrected, we know we will be as well. We know death is not an end, but merely a transition. We are not abandoned by Jesus when we die. Rather, we go to be with Him and will always be with him. What a comfort.

2. There is more than this life.

Some days life is just frustrating. I wonder why anyone would remotely want to keep on dealing with it. The reason…there is more to life than this life. There is something worth striving for when this life is over. I don’t want to give up because a victory is coming and I want to be on the winning side when it happens. 

Be comforted. Life is tough, but the goal waiting for us is worth everything we go through. Death may be hard, but for us it is a victory.

Keep the faith and keep reading,

ELC