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2 Corinthians 1:3-11 Devotional – Day 3

Hearing God’s Voice from His Word


James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.

Psalm of the Day

Psalm 119:9-16 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word.
10 I have sought you with all my heart; don’t let me wander from your commands.
11 I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
12 Lord, may you be blessed; teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I proclaim all the judgments from your mouth.
14 I rejoice in the way revealed by your decrees as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts and think about your ways.
16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Read the entire Psalm

LORD Teach Me – Notice the Psalm writer’s devotion to God’s word. He says he will rejoice, meditate, delight in, treasure, and will proclaim God’s word. But tucked away in all the writer will do, he still is reliant on God. He asks God to keep him from wandering and to teach him. Keep this in mind today as you read and study. Apply your mind but ask God to work through His word to teach you and keep you from wandering.

SCRIPTURE READING:

2 Corinthians 1:3-11 – New Living Translation
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 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. 5 For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 6 Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 7 We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

8 We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 9 In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 10 And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. 11 And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Having God’s Ear through Prayer


  • Express thanksgiving to God.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
  • Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
    (1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”)
  • Bring your personal requests to God.
    (Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”)
  • Pray for someone in your small group.
  • Join with others from River and pray for those who do not know God. Ask God to help you see the lost people around you and have compassion for them. Ask God for opportunities to build trust. Ask God to give you opportunity to have gospel conversations.

Living as God’s People by applying the Bible


Scripture Reflection from the Sermon

In verses 4–7 Paul speaks of a double sharing: a sharing of comfort and a sharing of suffering. God comforts us in our affliction. We comfort others in any affliction. But the crucial thing to realize is that it is God’s comfort at work through us. Implied in all of this is Christian community. One of the primary means through which God comforts us is the church––the people of God. Christian community makes tangible God’s comfort through the Holy Spirit. In Romans, Paul instructs us to share each other’s joys and sorrow (Rom 12:15). This is why we strongly encourage small groups at River. We’re not interested in running programs. We’re interested in seeing lives shaped by the reality of the gospel. Small groups are a place where you can authentically be known by others who will share your joys and help bear your burdens. If you have not fully committed to being more fully known by others, what is holding you back? God has designed us for community. And God has designed his church to be one of the primary means of experiencing his comfort. I’d encourage you to take one step closer to being more fully known by others.