How I long that they may be encouraged, and find out more and more how strong are the bonds of Christian love. How I long for them to experience the wealth of conviction which is brought by understanding - that they may come to know more fully God's great secret, Christ Himself ! For it is in Him, and in Him alone, that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge lie hidden. If you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
  What a wonderful God we have - He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of every mercy, and the One Who so wonderfully comforts and strengthens us in our hardships and trials. And why does He do this? So that when others are troubled, needing our sympathy and encouragement, we can pass on to them this same help and comfort God has given us. You can be sure that the more we undergo sufferings for Christ, the more He will shower us with His comfort and encouragement. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
   We are in deep trouble for bringing you God's comfort and salvation. But in our trouble God had comforted us - and this, too, to help you: to show you from our personal experience how God will tenderly comfort you when you undergo these same sufferings. He will give you the strength to endure. For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven. With Jesus' help we will continually offer our sacrifice of praise to God by telling others of the glory of His name.
   Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. By wisdom the Lord laid the earth's foundations, by understanding He set the heavens in place; by His knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.

Taken from Col. 2, Pr. 2, II Cor. 1, Rom. 8, Heb. 13, Pr. 3, The Phillips Translation, The New International Version, The Living Bible, The New American Standard and
The New King James. For free Lifescope book, write to Box 1575, Carlsbad, NM 88221.
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