Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua The Messiah, Compassionate Father, God of all encouragement and comfort; who encourages us in all our trials,… so that we can encourage others in whatever trials they may be undergoing with the encouragement we ourselves have received from God.
2. Corinthians 1.3-4 (The complete Jewish Study Bible)
Last week we wrote about how God is with us in trials and how he brings comfort and encouragement in the middle of them. Today we want to look at the second part of the verse where Paul focuses on others. So when we go through trials and we receive encouragement from God it is not just for us. It is also meant to help others. Even Paul went through many trials in his life, he encouraged so many while still being in them. By doing that he actually helped others to grow in their faith and be encouraged by the fact that God is also with them.
Last week I talked about 2 approaches of 2 trials and the different outcomes for me. Looking at the second one where I leaned on God in the process and got encouragement and comfort from him didn’t just do well for me but also to others. A while after I went through this situation I was able to share with others how God comforted me and encouraged me in that season and how much it changed and helped me. Through that, they got encouraged and started to be hopeful for the trials they were in.
God is using the testimonies of our lives to help others be encouraged in their situations and to bring courage to them that they will also be able to make it through. So our victories God gave us can become victories for others.
We want to encourage you to share with others how God helped you through trials and comforted and encouraged you in them. Take courage and talk about the challenging times and how you were not alone!
Hey our friend
We hope you had a fantastic week!! We had a wonderful time with the first Haeusser Hangout of 2019. It was a great time to spend together with neighbors and others from the area. What are you doing to connect with your neighbors and community? Share in the comments!!
Don’t forget to encourage others this week through your testimony!
Have a blessed week!!
God bless you
Markus and Jen
When we think of trial pretty much all of us are not excited about it. Trials are usually times that are hard or challenging for us, times where we often don’t know how to make it through and we don’t know how it ends. But trials are part of life and we can’t or should not avoid them and stay true to what we believe. Paul was a man who went through many trials in his life if its time in prison or people turning on him. But Paul points out an important fact, God is with us in the trials and He is the one who will encourage and comfort us in the middle of it and gives us hope. That is pretty amazing. Many people in this world go through hard times but have no one that encourages them or helps them through. But for all who know God, the creator of the earth, they can be affirmed that He stands right at our side and helps us through.
What a perfect verse was chosen in the German church as the verse for the year 2019. Seeking peace and also pursuing it is so focused on an action of each one of us. A little while ago we heard a speaker share about how he seeks peace between Israeli and Palestinians and how much breakthrough he has seen over the years. But it took an action on his side to bring people together and to keep pursuing peace between them. He didn’t start through politics or a big media engagement, no he just brought youth from both sides together to meet and start understanding each other. Did it bring total peace for everyone yet? No but the people he brought together understand each other now and are connected through a friendship and started to reconcile.
First of all we want to wish you a merry and blessed Christmas!! We had a wonderful last week before Christmas and are excited for our Christmas celebration with our neighbor friends. Every year for Christmas Eve or Christmas day we celebrate Christmas with a nice dinner with neighbors and others from the neighborhood. It’s an equal blessing for the ones who come and for us. God wants to bring community through each one of us. May your family grow by adding neighbors to it. A blessing for you and for them!