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. — 2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (NIV)
The third level of Christian relationship and identity is in how God loves through us in powerful ways. We are called to serve the poor in our world. This can be poor economically, socially, relationally, or spiritually. As God has dealt mercifully with us, we can be ministers of compassion to those around us, giving them the comfort that God has given us.
