Today’s devotion comes from 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
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We are like sheep: “timid, fearful, easily panicked, dumb, stupid, gullible, very vulnerable to fear, frustration, pests, hunger” – Click here: What are some characteristics of sheep
We need comfort, a lot of it, for all of our lives.
God “has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace”. He provides all the comfort that we need for all of our lives. Verses 16 and 17,
And, through the comfort and strength that God gives us, God also enables us to do every good work and give every good word. Verse 17.
God preserves us, so that without the will of our heavenly Father, not even a hair can fall from our head. God assures us of eternal life. God makes us sincerely willing and ready to live for Him. Question and Answer 1 of the Heidelberg Catechism.
Question 1. What is thy only comfort in life and death?
Answer. That I with body and soul, both in life and death, am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with his precious blood, hath fully satisfied for all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by his Holy Spirit, he also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto him.
Psalm Chapter 32, one of the best known and most beloved chapters of the Bible, ties it all together for us. We are the sheep, and our Lord is our Good Shepherd.
“The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm Chapter 23.
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm Chapter 23.
Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions 