Words that bring comfort to my heart

Dear Brothers and Sisters, "For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows" - 2 Corinthians 1:5 I have received many letters, most of them come to my heart like a gentle balm that fills my soul with joy and comfort from the Word of God. Many dear brothers who write me are true believers who are taught by God, and learned from the personal experiences of pain and suffering the real meaning of this overflowing consolation for us through Christ Jesus. The letters help me to remember that the inexhaustible source of grace and consolation of God are gushing toward the life of this missionary, not because there is something special about him in any way!  But it is part of a higher purpose which seeks the glory of a Holy God, who wants to reveal to my heart the nature of his character a very special way. I quote some excerpts of these letters, with the intention of also providing comfort to someone else who may be living in the outer limits of his own life: "My dear brother Marcelo. ... Your life has seen much suffering and pain. I imagine your difficult times, your hours of anguish and sleepless nights. But I think your best "sermons" preached to date have been those in the midst of your suffering.  Your life bears the witness of Christ.  As Calvin said at the climax of his illness: "Lord, you crush me, but I am comforted that it is Thy hand! I always like to say that the Puritans were not only the theologians of Sanctification, but Theologians of Suffering. They knew what suffering was under the providential and gracious hand of the Lord Jesus, in grace and faith. Be strong, we are fighting with you in prayer.  Your pain is our pain, Your hope is our hope. "- Presb. Manuel Canuto "My dear brother, all I want in this email is to able to send you our solidarity and brotherly love, and share with you the awareness of grace that always leaves us with hope. Not hope without certainty, but the hope in Christ that is certainly based on faith in the power and mercy of Him who saves us. "- Pastor Claudio Michaella "Brother, your story of faith in God is the testimony that makes me believe even more that the best place in the world is at the feet of Jesus. What would your life be if it were only full of self? Certainly it would not have the same impact that it has had, filled with the Spirit of God. Your cheerful confidence that God is in control of everything at the exact moment when hope seems lost is contagious and motivating. We are praying for you. "- Alex Corsino "My precious and brave brother in Christ ... I am sending this email with the hopes of comforting you, and it is me that I is comforted by reading what flows from your heart. The late Pastor Richardson said, referring to Paul's words about "whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord" (Romans 14:8), the important thing is not living and not dying, but belonging to the Lord. ... O Blessed Grace of Jesus that reached us and bought us the place in heaven where we shall always be with the Lord for all time!" Pastor Prince Junior. There are many other posts like these that inspire me to look at the sovereignty of God and make me remember the words of a Christian in the past called AW Tozer: "it is impossible for God to use someone without first breaking him!" In fact, as a missionary I always remember that God can best use a nobody! With warm regards, Marcelo Pedro.