Comfort in Suffering

2 Corinthian 1:4-5
[Christ] comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted.

Suffering teaches us to love compassionately, and to empathize with others in their suffering. God understands suffering precisely because he experienced it first hand. He chose to experience it!

The book of Hebrews says "he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted," (Heb 2:17-18) and "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our own weaknesses." (Heb 4:15) Christ knows, first hand, every kind of suffering, even the suffering of temptation.

I love that Jesus is the kind of leader who leads from the front of the battle lines. He doesn't just lay down the law and say do it. He lays down the law and says, "Come on, let's do this together, I'll go first." What a friend we have in Jesus!