Daily Devotion with Pastor Tong Liu: Today's Passage

2 Corinthians 1:1-3

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort...

In 1 Corinthians, Paul harshly rebuked all kinds of sin in the Corinthian church, and the church repented in these sins; therefore, in 2 Corinthians, Paul sought to comfort the Corinthian church, as true grace and peace can only come from God.

When United Nations was founded in 1945, the world was hoping that there'd be no more wars; the reality is, however, that there has been wars every single day since its founding. Peace from people is the peace of compromises. Some parents wanted peace at home and they would give their kids whatever they ask for, and of course their kids can only become more demanding. Peace from people is also worrisome, because there's no real guarantee. In order to seek peace, Chinese people often put the word "peace" everywhere in their house, like in the staircase so they'd have peace while walking up and down, or at the door so that they'd have peace coming in and going out. We need to understand that true peace, however, is not from people or the circumstance, and definitely not from ourselves, but true peace must come from God.

In verse 3, Paul says that "...Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort..." Our God is the father of compassion; even if we are weak and not worthy of His grace, He's always full of mercy. Hebrews 4:16 says that "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." He's the father of compassion, so you just need to bring your needs before Him, and God will give you peace that transcends all understanding. He 's also God of all comfort, and He will always comfort you in time of difficulty. When God revealed His name of "Jehovah Shalom" to Gideon, Gideon was in danger during a time that had no peace. Gideon was hiding in a winepress and threshing wheat to escape from persecution from the Midians, and God told him that His name is Jehovah Shalom. Jehovah Shalom means "I am your peace." This is such a precious promise! Gideon was able to defeat the Midians by such promise.

Do you have peace in your heart? Do you know that true peace can only come from God? Let us come before Him and humbly ask for His peace!

Pray with Pastor Tong

Lord, I thank you because you are the king of peace. Our hope and our peace rest in you. May you once again reveal your peace in our hearts, so that no matter what the circumstance is, you will give all kinds of comfort to those who seek you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!