As always it was my intention.....

to get up and do my devotional and Bible Study when I first woke up at 6:30. The problem? I didn't wake up until 8:00! Time for school! Oddly enough, however, nobody had been up in time and that gave me a few minutes.....

Off to the computer I go to PC Bible Study, not my usual routine but at least I get my Bible time in and I am on the computer already so it is easy to post to this blog. I read Spurgeon's devotional first and the verse he focuses on is this:
2 Cor 1:5
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
NIV

I remember reading that chapter but I don't remember that verse. So I dig deeper and I check out the Greek. The Greek word here translated flow means literally "to superabound" or be in excess. (Strong's NT:4052 perisseuo (per-is-syoo'-o*) In other words we can expect to inundated with trials and trouble. We are going to hurt, we will have seasons in our life that will be difficult to endure.

On to the part that I found really exciting! The part that says: " so through Christ our comfort overflows". Back to the Greek and here is what I found: first, overflows is the same Greek word as flows. Through Christ our comfort superabounds or is in excess. Comfort here is from the Greek word paraklesis which means comfort or consolation, that words comes from the word parakaleo which means to call near or invite.

There is then. We will suffer and hurt but in our sufferings will be called near to Christ for comfort. He will use our hurts to draw Him to Himself because He knows well that ....
our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Rom 8:18 NIV



(*Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)