This is a command! The world is a wicked place, and Christians need comfort. We shall soon die (if our Master tarries); therefore a word of comfort is helpful.
Perhaps this is one of the more neglected commands. We often feel free to criticize or neglect others. We may even be guilty of being like Satan in slandering others. But the art of comforting one another is forgotten in the daily pressures of surviving.
And the Scriptures are the true source of comfort. "Comfort one another with these words" is the reading of the text in 1 Thessalonians 4:18. Our own words can be helpful, but the certain promises of Jesus' return surpass by far anything we can say.
Is anyone sad? Speak the word of comfort. Is anyone lonely? Let him (or her) know that the Lord has said, "I will not fail thee nor forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:15). Is anyone hurting from sinful living? Comfort him with the assurance that there is forgiveness to the penitent child of God.
Comfort one another! And do it today.
- Norman Gipson; via THE SOWER, a weekly publication of the Arthur church of Christ, Arthur, IL. Ron Bartanen, who serves as minister and editor, may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.arthurchurchofchrist.com
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