Apostle Paul knew from firsthand experience what suffering was about. But he also knew what it meant to receive comfort from his Heavenly Father. He describes God as Someone “who comforteth us in all our tribulation, so that we may be able to comfort them which are in any tribulation, by the comfort with wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God “(2 Corinthians 1:4). Notice that God doesn’t always deliver us from our affliction but comforts us in our affliction. While we’re going through troubles and external harassment, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort comforts us.

From the day he was converted, Apostle Paul faced all sorts of suffering and trouble. Just a few days after his conversion, he went to the synagogue and began proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. What happened? People tried to kill him. In fact, Paul was persecuted severely throughout his life. He was stoned. He was thrown in jail. He was shipwrecked. He was criticized. He went through more troubles, attacks, and insults than any of us will ever go through. Yet he became a great man of God.

In a day and age when non-sacrificial Christianity is becoming increasingly popular, we must remember that we will share abundantly in Christ’s suffering. Too often, we buy into the idea that if we’re walking in the Spirit, we will lead trouble-free lives. Then, when trouble confronts us, we start to cry out, “Why does God allow these things to happen to me?  I’m not a bad person!”

Just because we’re going through troubles doesn’t mean we’ve lost the anointing. It doesn’t mean we aren’t walking in the Spirit. It doesn’t mean God has left us. What it does mean is that we are living in a fallen world. As such, we will experience suffering. But God can comfort us even in the midst of this suffering.

Paul had every reason to feel that his world was falling apart. He had every reason to feel “tired, alone, and old.” But he realized that the work he had begun in Corinth was of God, and he had a sure hope that it would be brought to completion. Paul never said we wouldn’t experience disappointments, suffering, or problems. But he did say that in Christ, there’s mercy and comfort in every situation. Always remember, God is the God of all comfort. No case is too difficult for Him. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for me? “(Jeremiah 32:27).

Apostle Paul repeatedly emphasizes the fact that God is completely adequate to comfort us under any circumstance. When he wrote to the Philippians, he claimed that “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He is our ultimate source of encouragement and consolation in all of life’s circumstances.

Apostle Paul knew from firsthand experience what suffering was about. But he also knew what it meant to receive comfort from his Heavenly Father. He describes God as Someone “who comforteth us in all our tribulation, so that we may be able to comfort them which are in any tribulation, by the comfort with wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God “(2 Corinthians 1:4). Notice that God doesn’t always deliver us from our affliction but comforts us in our affliction. While we’re going through troubles and external harassment, the Father of mercy and the God of all comfort comforts us.

From the day he was converted, Apostle Paul faced all sorts of suffering and trouble. Just a few days after his conversion, he went to the synagogue and began proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. What happened? People tried to kill him. In fact, Paul was persecuted severely throughout his life. He was stoned. He was thrown in jail. He was shipwrecked. He was criticized. He went through more troubles, attacks, and insults than any of us will ever go through. Yet he became a great man of God.

In a day and age when non-sacrificial Christianity is becoming increasingly popular, we must remember that we will share abundantly in Christ’s suffering. Too often, we buy into the idea that if we’re walking in the Spirit, we will lead trouble-free lives. Then, when trouble confronts us, we start to cry out, “Why does God allow these things to happen to me?  I’m not a bad person!”

Just because we’re going through troubles doesn’t mean we’ve lost the anointing. It doesn’t mean we aren’t walking in the Spirit. It doesn’t mean God has left us. What it does mean is that we are living in a fallen world. As such, we will experience suffering. But God can comfort us even in the midst of this suffering.

Paul had every reason to feel that his world was falling apart. He had every reason to feel “tired, alone, and old.” But he realized that the work he had begun in Corinth was of God, and he had a sure hope that it would be brought to completion. Paul never said we wouldn’t experience disappointments, suffering, or problems. But he did say that in Christ, there’s mercy and comfort in every situation. Always remember, God is the God of all comfort. No case is too difficult for Him. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for me? “(Jeremiah 32:27).

Apostle Paul repeatedly emphasizes the fact that God is completely adequate to comfort us under any circumstance. When he wrote to the Philippians, he claimed that “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He is our ultimate source of encouragement and consolation in all of life’s circumstances.

We see in those writings that Solomon saw a vision of the Bride of Christ, the church. He said that thou art fair, my love, so we see that firstly God loves us and we have to become fair. When a bride is chosen she goes to a great amount of trouble to prepare herself for the wedding day, to make herself look the best she has ever looked, so we see that we have to also make an effort. Solomon saw the eyes and they were as doves’ eyes. Doves are peaceful, doves do not make a lot of noise. Doves quietly fly around and are always at peace with the world, so we see that we have to develop “this peace”. It is not the peace of man, but the Peace of God that Christ left for us. Peace between ourselves and God through Jesus Christ, reconciled to God, happy to be His sons and His daughters. He told us that our clothing must be like a flock of sheep. He was purposely using the sheep as an example because sheep have to go together in a flock. They have to have a leader, a shepherd. They have to have lots of things done to them. They have to be led to the water. Every year they have to have the wool taken off them because in that wool is all the burrs and the rubbish, and in the summer they would die. So we see that we have to allow ourselves to be watered, to be fed, to have our bad things taken away from us, to be fruitful, and to live close to God. The teeth are all even. Out of our mouth proceed all of the words that we say, so we have to make sure that our words are always even, that they are not judgemental, that they treat everyone as equal in God’s sight. Sheep have to be washed and we too have to be washed through Baptism, so that we can call on the good shepherd. None of the sheep were barren and they all brought forth twins, so we see that we have to make this effort in our life to serve the Lord at all times, to be fruitful, and help others to this great promise. The lips were like a thread of scarlet. Under the Jewish law, if a person was found telling lies, they had to go to the priest and the priest painted their lips a scarlet colour to cure them. We see that we must always be careful of what we say, that we do not tell lies, that we do not go about tale-bearing and causing trouble, but at all times ask the high priest to paint our lips with scarlet.

The neck is like the tower of David on which all the armoury was hung. Our neck connects our head with our body. The head of the church is Christ. We must have strong faith, connecting ourselves as the body of Christ to the head of Christ. Always do in our life all those things that Christ has taught us. When we listen to those things, perhaps we become depressed, because we ask ourselves how can we do all of those things, and of course we can’t, but through the Grace of Christ He has given us a way when Solomon saw a hill of frankincense and a mountain of myrrh. Frankincense represents the Holy Ghost. We cannot see Him but He has been given to us from God. This Holy Ghost can forgive us our sins. It can comfort us, feed us, give us the Word of God, tell us when we are doing wrong and help us do right, so we must at all times in our life call on this Holy Spirit through the Grace of Christ to forgive us our sins and guide us.

The mountain of myrrh. Myrrh was used to embalm bodies so that they would not deteriorate, and we’ve been given a mountain of myrrh which is the Holy Communion. This will also preserve our bodies, that even if we pass away in this life, when the Lord returns the graves will open and we will be made whole again. This myrrh is used to take away our forgiven sins and replace it with the righteousness of Christ, and it is only by this righteousness of Christ and the Grace of Christ, not by any acts of ourselves, not by fulfilling any laws, only the Grace of Christ that can prepare us for those wonderful words that Solomon saw in verse 7, “Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.” Let us seek the Grace of Christ and His righteousness, and remember Christ’s teaching. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all else will be added unto you.”

We see a great promise to those that seek the Lord. In our natural life we see so many seekers, and especially on the roads in our part of the land at this present time of the year, we see many caravans, some old, some new with southern state number plates, all heading north for the winter. We jokingly say they are chasing the sun and if we talk to the occupants they readily agree, for they see this as a better way of life.

As Christians we journey through life, and we too, should also be chasing the sun. The sun we should chase is spoken of in Malachi 4:2 “But unto to you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.” We see then by this sun we should pursue or seek righteousness and peace. This righteousness and peace can only be found in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Our text tells us that if we seek this sun, we shall not want any good thing, and so it is. Our Lord confirmed this to us when He taught about prayer in Matthew 6:8 “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him.”  The Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 3:8-12 told us how, by our lives as we journey along, we can show that we are seeking the right things. “Finally be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For He that will love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: But the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

If we seek the Lord and His righteousness, we will find that like the travellers, both old and young, chasing the sun, that it will be a better life, a life we can love, a life where we will see only good days, and be not wanting for any good thing.

We have been taught that all of our prayers must be done in sincerity and with whole heartedness. When we search the scriptures, we will not find anywhere where God ever demanded us to pray but rather as out text tells us that we should have the desire to come to Him that hears our prayers. Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye Shall Seek me, and find me, when  ye shall search for me with all your heart.” What we pray for in our lives is very important to recognize how God receives our prayers.  I recently read this short parable about prayer.

I asked God to take away all my pain.
The Answer Came – No.  It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
The Answer Came – No.  Her Spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience.
The Answer Came – No. Patience is a by-product of tribulations; it isn’t granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness.
The Answer Came – No. I give you blessings. Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain.
The Answer Came. – No.  Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my Spirit grow.
The Answer Came – No.  You must be the one to grow, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
The Answer Came – No. I will give you life so that you may enjoy all good things.
I then asked God to help me love others as much as you love me.
The Answer Came, Ah, finally you are on track.

In life it is often in the times of great tribulation that the greatest of all gifts shines more brightly. 1 Corinthians13:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity (Love), these three: but the greatest of these is Charity (loving kindness).

Apostle John  recorded for us the fundamental message that God  was showing to us by Sending His only begotten Son to be our Saviour and Redeemer by recording Christ’s words in John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

As we contemplate our attitude to prayer, let us also dwell on the words of that so favourite hymn sung by so many around the world.

What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trial and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged: Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness, take it to the Lord in prayer.

Let us continue to always play our part in keeping the armour of God present in our lives as in Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayers and supplication in the Spirit, and watching there unto with all perseverance and supplications for all Saints.”

Psychology research has unearthed some truly confronting statistics within our modern, western society. It tells us that the average person will lie more than ten times each day. The prevalence of lying is reinforced in the statistic that people will, on average, lie three times within the first ten minutes of interacting with strangers in order to gain advantage over others. Intentionally deceiving someone for an advantage or our own personal gain is contrary to God’s will for lives. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” (Exodus 20:16)

No doubt, some of these lies are so as not to offend others. “Do you like the gift I gave you?” Unfortunately, the research also tells us that the more we lie the easier it becomes and the more likely we are to do it again. We can even lie to ourselves with the result of fooling our own selves through justification. Our inherited propensity to lie began when the knowledge of good and evil was ingested. Since then, we inherit the capacity to lie and have to work at walking in truth.

The good news in the research is that, although we have the capacity to lie, our bodies resist and give away tell-tale signs when we try to deceive others. Our heart rate increases, we move body parts, we give too much information, we don’t answer directly. There is an internal battle going on and we must decide between truth and lies. That is why we require the Spirit of Truth to guide us. “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:” (John 16:13)

Our Lord’s words above were spoken to the Pharisees who had accused him of bearing false record of himself. He clearly explained that he was sent by the Father of Truth. He also indicated that there is a Father of Lies in the world that seeks to mislead mankind away from the truth. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

There are always two paths before us in our choices and there are two powers that will lead us to either life or death. We must consider whether we are following the Father of Truth or the Father of Lies in our life’s journey. Our role is to choose the pathway. Honesty is always the best policy.

As we read one of the final messages to be taken to the world before the Lord returns, we could be excused for thinking, ‘it is not new,’ so how could the world forget this? Recently, an eminent scientist was filmed giving his views where the world was heading because of the so called ‘global warming’. Behind him written on a banner for all to see was the words “And you think God controls the environment!” What an impact on the young who may have been watching.   It is very easy to see that in a few generations God could easily be forgotten to be worshiped in relation to the continuance of the creation. From the beginning God has urged mankind to use nature as the first means to see and learn of His Glory, power, and love. It is often referred to as the first edition of Gods’ divine law and has been built upon with expanded editions to the full seven editions now available to the world. As we examine these editions, we see that we have an important part to play. They are never to be taken away but should be strengthened over time.

1st Edition – Written on Nature – Psalm 19 expressed so clearly.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handy work. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.” This was the only “bible” used from the creation to the sin flood. It should still be so powerful today.

2nd Edition – Written on Conscience – After the great sin flood, mankind now was shown clearly that evil would be punished by God and so man’s conscience became the 2nd edition of the “bible” – Romans 2:15.

“Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;”

3rd Edition – Written on ‘tables of stone – Exodus 24:12

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.”          

We see that now mankind had written for them this 3rd edition of the “bible”. The creation story, ‘the book of Genesis’, was now written for us.

4th Edition – The entire Old testament – Romans 15:4

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort and the scriptures might have hope.”

Now with this edition of the “bible” came hope to mankind if they followed the teachings.

5th Edition – Christ the illustrated word – John 1:14

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the father,) full of grace and truth.”

Now the living word of God came to the earth and His teachings confirmed all previous editions and gave meaning to them. They of course are recorded for us in the New testament and so with this edition of the “bible” came understanding for the future.

6th Edition – Written on the heart – Hebrews 8:10

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people.”

We see now how the Holy Ghost writes this edition of the “bible” to all those who will come to prepare themselves for the Kingdom of God.

7th Edition – The outward life of a Christian – Living Editions -2 Corinthians 3:2-3

“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.”

We now see our role as part of this edition of the “bible” when we measure Gods’ love in providing mankind with his teaching and blessings down through the years and we see the way the world is trending it is easy to see the frustration repeated so many times in Psalm 107:31. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”

The chief Priests and Scribes tried to rebuke Christ for allowing the children who were worshiping in the temple, when they saw the healing that he did, from shouting and crying out “Hosanna to the Son of David.” These learned men of the law could not see that Christ was fulfilling the law before their very eyes, as part of the festival was to acknowledge God by walking around the Altar and shouting Hosanna and Glory to God. The children in their childlike faith and innocence, could see this clearly and recognized the presence of God in Jesus Christ. Christ pointed out to them that they were witnessing the fulfilment of the prophecy contained in the book of Psalm. Perfect praise and wisdom only can come from childlike trust. Recently, I was reminded of this text from an article sent to me by a Sister, and was headed up as:

 SIGN OF THE TIMES.

 The Sunday School teacher told her class of seven-year-olds

 how Jesus loved each one of them, then asked, “If Jesus came

 in here to-day, what would you say to Him?”

 A little girl stood up and answered, “I’d take my Bible to Him

 and say, ‘Jesus, This is Your Life’.”

 We compare this to the events described in our text word and see how it fulfils itself even today. The world is full of learned people, many claim to have the answers for all things and can in their own minds do great things, but cannot see the great benefits and love that can flow to mankind from the love of Jesus Christ. The little girl in this story certainly showed a trust and childlike faith in the Bible as the written word of God, teaching us of the living Word of God, who is Christ. Of course, she was perfectly correct.

 The Psalmist in Psalm 40:7 wrote, “Then said I, Lo. I come in the volume of the book, is it written of me”, and Christ confirmed this while on earth when He taught in John 5:39. “Search the scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” If we take heed of the wisdom taught by the young girl, we should be able to approach the reading of the Bible in a different way. No! We do not need the worldly wisdom to understand what it is all about, but we need only give ourselves to God’s spirit, and look on the various writings as teaching of Jesus Christ’s life and mission foretold in the very first chapter of Genesis verse 26, “And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Every page we turn over with this simple request in mind, we find more and more of Christ prefigured, page upon page, until the last chapter of Revelations verse 20, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.”