God comforts believers expecting that they, in turn, will extend that heaven-sent comfort toward others during their times of need. Believers are admonished to “comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, and be patient toward all men” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Stronger believers are encouraged to bear the infirmities of those who are weak (Romans 15:1). When one believer weeps as a result of the trials and troubles of this life, the body of Christ should weep with that brother or sister (Romans 12:15). Every member of the body of Christ should be available to the strengthening and support of other members of the body, for in doing so, believers fulfil the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
Far too many people wrongly assume that the Bible lacks relevance in addressing modern problems. However, the Bible declares that things written aforetime were written for comfort in present troubles. Though the Bible does not deal specifically with every modern trouble, the work of God in past believers’ lives offers the comfort necessary to face any trouble. This is one of many reasons why it is imperative that believers read the entire Bible and not limit it to the New Testament or certain epistles within it. God’s workings in the lives of Job, Abraham, and Jeremiah can offer just as much comfort as God’s workings in the lives of Paul or John. No matter the trouble faced, an open Bible with a receptive heart serves as man’s greatest opportunity for experiencing the ever allusive comfort.
The Bible never directly addresses the Lord Jesus as “the Comforter,” yet the Lord alluded to this title. The Lord told His followers that the coming of the Holy Ghost would be God’s means of sending them “another Comforter” (John 14:16). Evidently, the Lord Jesus served as the Comforter and the Holy Ghost would function as another Comforter. During His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus worked in the lives of those who followed Him. He was their Comforter. When He went to the Father, the Father sent “another Comforter” and He is the Holy Ghost. Each person who is born again by the grace of God has the Holy Ghost dwelling within (Romans 8:9). When troubles come, and they will, the believer has within himself a person of the Godhead that specializes in comforting those afflicted.
Though despicable in the eyes of God, humility can be feigned or faked. Colossians 2:18 touches on this principle. The saints were admonished against demonstrating a “voluntary humility” while being “vainly puffed up” by their fleshly minds. Humility and being “puffed up” are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Yet, these believers pretended to be humble, while they were, in reality, puffed up. Colossians 2:23 reveals a second clear proof that humility can be false. Here the Bible speaks of things having “a shew” of “humility.” In other words, people can “shew” humility while being overtaken with pride. False humility can sometimes convince and satisfy others, but rest assured that God clearly knows the difference.
The Lord is high above His creation. He “is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens” (Psalm 113:4). He is so exalted that He must humble “himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth” (Psalm 113:6). As strange as it may seem, it humbles God to behold His creation (i.e., the sun, the moon, and the stars). The Bible even declares that “the stars are not pure in his sight” (Job 25:5). All of these things were created by God, yet it humbles Him to behold them. Not only is this true of the Father, but God the Son humbled Himself when He was adorned with a body of flesh (Philippians 2:8). God created man, yet it humbled Him to take on a body of flesh like man.
Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do and yields great benefits. For instance, consider what the Bible has to say about diligence. God’s word promises that diligence brings an increase of substance (Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 13:4; Proverbs 21:5) and promotion (Proverbs 12:24; Proverbs 22:29). In other words, as the saying goes, hard work pays off. It is not difficult to prove that these benefits manifest themselves in the lives of God’s people who are diligent. Joseph and Daniel are two great examples of those who were diligent and their diligence brought them obvious promotion. Abraham and Job are great examples of diligent men who experienced a great increase of substance. A word of caution might be appropriate here. Men are not to be diligent merely for the sake of reaping its inherent benefits, but should be diligent for the sake of the One who called them to be diligent.
Sometimes a Bible word is best defined by first establishing what the word does not mean. Biblical diligence is such a case in point. A diligent man is one who is not slothful or lazy according to Proverbs 12:24. Proverbs 10:4 bears witness to this fact by contrasting the diligent with those who are slack or careless. According to Proverbs 13:4, a diligent man is not a sluggard. Yet, the Bible also points out that the diligent are to be properly balanced by not hastily rushing through work (Proverbs 21:5). Each of these truths concerning diligence reveals that diligence involves working hard, but with great care and concern. In a world filled with those who choose either quantity or quality of work, God counsels His children to be concerned with both. This is diligence!
