July 12, 2022

The Almost Daily will be on Summer Vacation until August 8th. But fear not! You will receive a devotional each Monday through Friday from the excellent Mockingbird Devotional entitled Daily Grace. Enjoy! - Paul Walker

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 NIV)

Hand-me-downs vary widely in quality and desirability. If you are the baby in the family, you may remember hand-me-downs with a tinge of irritation, those more than ‘gently used’ garments that your older sibling wore back when they were actually in style. On the other hand, sometimes a grand- parent will present you with a different kind of hand-me-down—a vintage engagement ring perhaps, something which bears great financial value as well as incalculable sentimental value.

The “comfort” which the apostle Paul is handing down in our passage definitely falls in the latter category. It is not some cheap and shopworn advice to people negotiating affliction—“hang in there,” “keep on smiling,” etc. It is rather an elixir of priceless vintage, a kind of spiritual strength passed on from someone who has been through the wars and by God’s grace is still intact. Indeed, this comfort ultimately traces itself back to the Christ who suffered for us and whose grace is always available to us. That is the kind of hand-me-down we welcome gladly.

[Larry Parsley, Daily Grace - Mockingbird Devotional Vol. 2]