“Who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (II Corinthians 1:4)

Two of the key words in this verse are: “so that.”  They introduce a purpose clause, which means that God comforts us for the purpose — “SO THAT” — we can share the comfort and blessings He has given us, with others.  Unfortunately, many of us are too short-sighted to appreciate this. We often see our trials — and the comfort we receive in them — as merely a personal thing between us and God.  But Paul teaches us here that the comfort we receive in our trials is not for us alone, but to pass along to others.

Thus we should always be looking for how, and with whom, we can share what God has done for us — whether it is considered “evangelism” or “discipleship.” We are to be sharing with others what God has done for us.

This is the great truth of Psalm 67: “God our God blesses us –THAT all the ends of the earth may fear Him.”

Thus whatever God has blessed us with is to be shared:

— Our material blessings are given to us in order to be shared

— The Bible knowledge God has granted us is to be passed along to others

— Our personal walk with God is to be shared to assist others with theirs

— And as this verse indicates, even our experience in trials is to be used to comfort others in similar situations.

Do not refrain from sharing with people who find themselves in situations you have experienced.  II Corinthians 1:4 says the comfort you received in that situation was NOT JUST FOR YOU — rather God designed it for the very purpose that you could turn around and share it with others.  Don’t let a misguided, self-centered version of Christianity cause you to miss that.