‘Comfort One Another’

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

I Thessalonians 4:18

What is the practical value of the things we have been considering lately? According to the Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the practical value to us today is comfort. He says so clearly in our text for today. ‘Therefore comfort one another with these words.’ What are these comforting things? First, it is comforting to us, who are in Christ, that He is going to return. It is frankly gratifying that He will return Personally, visibly, and with great fanfare. His Return puts a definitive exclamation point to all that He has promised. This is a great comfort to us. We find comfort that Christ, Whom we love most and best, will make His Appearance to right that which is wrong, to make straight that which is crooked, and to vindicate all who have rested by faith in Him. We also find comfort in the fact that He will raise His Own from the dead. This enables us to come to the graveside and not ‘sorrow as others who have no hope.’ For us, physical death is not permanent. Another comforting thought is that Christ will wholly sanctify us spiritually at the same time that He glorifies us physically. For us, who are struggling daily with our own sinfulness, it is comforting that He will change us in every way. Today, let us live in the light of all these comforting prospects. Christ will return, and all will change.

Our Kind and Gracious God,
we rejoice that You bring great comfort unto Your people.
We praise You that You will never fail us,
and that Christ will return in all His Glory.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning