Pass it on

https://odb.org/2026/07/20/pass-it-on-5

2 Corinthians 1:1–7 (NIV): 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 his holy people throughout Achaia: 2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 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. 7 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.

After a fifty-five year wait, England’s soccer team finally made it to the European Football Championship Cup finals. Locked in a tie with Italy, the game was decided by a penalty shootout. England’s last chance fell to a young player named Bukayo Saka. But as Saka kicked the penalty shot, Italy’s goalkeeper deflected it. England fans wept; the Cup was lost. Few will forget what happened next, though. England’s manager, Gareth Southgate, walked over to the devastated Saka and embraced him. Southgate knew how Saka felt. In 1996 it was he, as a young player, who had missed the penalty shot that cost England a place in the semifinals, and England’s then-manager Terry Venables had comforted him in the very same way. (Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Bread 20th July 2026)

The spiritual principle shared in today’s ODB is that as God comforts us, we ought to comfort others. Paul encouraged in 2 Corinthians 1:4 – [God the Father] who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. That is why we know that the things we go through in life is how God matures us but that is also how He teaches us so we may use our life experiences, especially our encounters with Him, to comfort others. Nothing in our past life is wasted even though we may have gone through “hell”. For instance, if we had gone hungry for 3 whole days surviving just on plain water when young because there was no money for food before salary day, we are able to appreciate those who go hungry and understand what they are going through.

This principle may be further extended beyond our past experiences to the wealth we have or our God-given talents and skills we honed at work. All we have may be used for the glory of God – as God blesses us, we bless others. One of the best ways to serve God is to use whatever we have first while we equip ourselves. Our management skills may be used to organise events for the church first while we spend more time deepening our bible knowledge. We serve with what we have rather than only serve when we are ready. We don’t know how long we will live. So don’t wait, just start somewhere from where we are with whatever we have.

The idea is to pass it on as God gives and blesses us, as Jesus moulds, shapes and matures us. Very little in the Kingdom of God is ours to hoard, most are to be shared to bless the larger community one way or another including our past experiences. The more we give and pass on, the more our Father will give us. That is why in the spiritual realm, it is better to give than to receive from others as the more we give, the more God will give us!

Have a good week, everyone! Be mindful to give more of ourselves to others as the LORD our God sees our heart and will make sure our hearts are overflowing with His grace and mercy!