Are you the one that encourages others? Can you name those people in your life who encouraged you? Was it a teacher, pastor, 4-H Club agent, coach, youth leader, grandparent, parent, or an uncle or aunt? You certainly know who it was? Did you thank whoever it was?

That leads to the question of the day:

Are you the one that encourages others? Have you intentionally tried to be that person who is an encourager? Would you pray, during the course of this week, asking God to lay on your heart— that one you need to encourage? Would you seek out that one this week and encourage that person? Would you make a phone call, send a card, visit someone, take time to pray with the person whom God has laid on your heart? We need to listen to the individual that we are trying to encourage.

Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-5. What is Paul saying to the believers of Corinth? KJV- “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”

The word “blessed” is actually “praise”. Praise be to God. I wonder how much we really praise God. David said, in Psalm 34:1, “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” That ought to get rid of the complaining saint. God is the Father of all mercies, and the God of all comfort.

Thought: God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. In our world people turn to a host of things for comfort. There is a problem with this kind of thinking. (Things do not comfort.) Aren’t you glad that you know that source of all comfort? John Jewett said this, “God does not comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.”

Note 2 Corinthians 1:4 (KJV)- “Who comforteth us in all our tribulations, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Yes— He comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. It is a wonderful thing that we have a God who can comfort us in all our troubles. It is in that time of trouble that we need comfort. It is in those times of loneliness and in the desperate hours of our life that we need comfort.

Are you a comforter? That depends on your relationship with your fellow man. It is easy to turn a deaf ear to the guy that is hurting physically, mentally, or emotionally. I have often heard it said— what is the difference in a recession and a depression? If my neighbor is out of work— that is a recession. If I am out of work, that is a depression.

What about your neighbor? What about that fellow classmate in Sunday school, a fellow believer you sit with on Sunday? Do I listen? Do I respond? Do I care? Am I a comforter?

Note 2 Corinthians 1:5 (KJV)- “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.” It could be said this way, “For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with His comfort through Christ.” Has He showered you lately? Could it be that He is not going to rain showers on you until you start comforting others?

Pray about it— God has already named who you need to comfort.

Are you the one that encourages others?