July 20, 2026: Pass It On – Our Daily Bread Devotional Monday ODB Daily Reading Message
Pass It On
Sheridan Voysey
KEY VERSE: [God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
2 Corinthians 1:1-7(NIV)
1 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.
READ OUR DAILY BREAD 20 JULY 2026 MESSAGE:
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.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul says, “who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Just as Southgate passed on to Saka what he’d received from Venables, Paul discovered that God’s comfort in his distress enabled him to comfort others in theirs, building their endurance (v. 6). Our “God of all comfort” (v. 3) can use our disappointment for good.
So let’s do the same, passing on God’s comfort to create an endless chain of encouragement.
REFLECT & PRAY
How has God comforted you in a time of loss or distress? How can you pass that comfort on to someone else today?
God of comfort, through each trial I face, please help me pass on Your comfort to others.
INSIGHT FOR TODAY
Notice the words all and any in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: “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.” These are comprehensive descriptors that provide extraordinary comfort because they assure us that no matter what we go through, God will provide His all-encompassing comfort. In addition, we can console others who are experiencing trials and heartaches, whether we’ve experienced them or not. This is the greatness of God. As our Creator, He fully understands what we’re suffering and knows how to comfort our hurting hearts. As He comforts us, we pass along His comfort to others so they too can become a conduit for His comfort, mercy, and grace.
BIBLE IN A YEAR
Psalms 26:1-28:9; Acts 22
Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet.