2 Corinthians 12
" 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
This is one of my most relied upon gifts from the Lord. His grace being enough for me, revealing His power in my weakness; knowing that in this, when I'm weak, I am strong! So opposite, antithetical to the world's way! In fact, how like the Lord to communicate through His Word directly to us relevant to even today's affairs! I have been praying over a matter that is a great opportunity offered to me, but for which I feel quite inadequate to carry out! SO - I'm trusting that by God's grace, my weakness/inadequacies will be fueled by God's perfect power - and that He will 'prove' Himself as He has time and time again. Not to mention - how wonderful of God to present opportunities for (my) faith to be deepened as dependence on God is needed!
Paul continues "to boast" to the Corinthians, out of love, in response to their teetering on letting go of what Paul has taught them and turning to false beliefs through false teaching! Yet, in this portion of Scripture, Paul turns to non-worldly standards....he shares with the Corinthians about the unbelievable, other-worldly revelations received by him from God! He then goes on to say that because of such super-natural displays of God to him, God sent "a messenger of Satan to torment" him (vs 7)! Paul prayed to have this "thorn in the flesh" removed, but alas, God did not remove it. Paul saw the thorn as God's intervention to help Paul remain humble (grateful, dependent on God and not himself). THIS is the point at which Paul saw God's power through him perfected in his weakness (the thorn in his flesh).
We don't see God's power perfected until we see our weakness. Not before....thank God for the testimony of the saints! Saints of old (Paul) and present day saints - you and I! Grace is not something stored up to keep for a rainy day - grace is given just in the moment it is needed! That is a powerful way God reveals our need to depend on Him and not ourselves! God comes through every time. He promises.
So join me today in asking God to reveal our weaknesses (not a request of manufacturing them or to purposely 'be weak'), those areas of our lives where we are prone to think and feel (perceived or real!) inadequate, don't measure up, don't have what it takes, our stresses/anxieties/worries - and ask God to show us, by His grace,....Himself!
"Lord, please reveal Your grace in our weaknesses today. Help us to depend on You more and more - and to see that You are more than enough. That You indeed have given us 'everything pertaining to life and Godliness" and today there isn't anything You have called upon us for that is too much for us - for us in You....Thank You Lord!"
" 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
This is one of my most relied upon gifts from the Lord. His grace being enough for me, revealing His power in my weakness; knowing that in this, when I'm weak, I am strong! So opposite, antithetical to the world's way! In fact, how like the Lord to communicate through His Word directly to us relevant to even today's affairs! I have been praying over a matter that is a great opportunity offered to me, but for which I feel quite inadequate to carry out! SO - I'm trusting that by God's grace, my weakness/inadequacies will be fueled by God's perfect power - and that He will 'prove' Himself as He has time and time again. Not to mention - how wonderful of God to present opportunities for (my) faith to be deepened as dependence on God is needed!
Paul continues "to boast" to the Corinthians, out of love, in response to their teetering on letting go of what Paul has taught them and turning to false beliefs through false teaching! Yet, in this portion of Scripture, Paul turns to non-worldly standards....he shares with the Corinthians about the unbelievable, other-worldly revelations received by him from God! He then goes on to say that because of such super-natural displays of God to him, God sent "a messenger of Satan to torment" him (vs 7)! Paul prayed to have this "thorn in the flesh" removed, but alas, God did not remove it. Paul saw the thorn as God's intervention to help Paul remain humble (grateful, dependent on God and not himself). THIS is the point at which Paul saw God's power through him perfected in his weakness (the thorn in his flesh).
We don't see God's power perfected until we see our weakness. Not before....thank God for the testimony of the saints! Saints of old (Paul) and present day saints - you and I! Grace is not something stored up to keep for a rainy day - grace is given just in the moment it is needed! That is a powerful way God reveals our need to depend on Him and not ourselves! God comes through every time. He promises.
So join me today in asking God to reveal our weaknesses (not a request of manufacturing them or to purposely 'be weak'), those areas of our lives where we are prone to think and feel (perceived or real!) inadequate, don't measure up, don't have what it takes, our stresses/anxieties/worries - and ask God to show us, by His grace,....Himself!
"Lord, please reveal Your grace in our weaknesses today. Help us to depend on You more and more - and to see that You are more than enough. That You indeed have given us 'everything pertaining to life and Godliness" and today there isn't anything You have called upon us for that is too much for us - for us in You....Thank You Lord!"
No comments:
Post a Comment