Strength in Weakness

-

"And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me." - 2 Corinthians 12:9


It is easy to get strengths and weaknesses mixed up in our world. Society has a habit of encouraging behaviors that we often deem as wrong. Crying, for example, is seen by many as weakness. Other behaviors often seen as weak include apologizing for harmful actions, refraining from retaliating against those who hurt you, and even seeking treatment for illness. I'm not trying to make a list of items, but just to simply point out that we often mistake strength for weakness.

The Bible gives us some very good insight into this very idea. Paul dealt with some mysterious "thorn in the flesh". To this day no one knows precisely what Paul struggled with, but it was so something so difficult that he asked Jesus to take it from him--three times. Each time Jesus told him "No". (Dare I say that you and I have prayed similar prayers?)  Jesus said "No", but that was not all he said. He went on to tell Paul that His grace was sufficient for Paul. In other words, when Paul was at his weakest, Jesus is at His strongest. Once Paul realized that he was at his strongest when he felt the weakest, it was life-changing for him. He could boast in his weaknesses--no longer fearing them--for he knew that Jesus was working in his behalf. Then, and only then, Jesus would receive the glory. Paul realized that Jesus was enough.

The same is true for us as well. In our weakest moments, when we can do no more and are powerless to change a situation, we are strongest. Whatever you are facing that has you drained and frustrated, you are much-stronger than you realize. Once you tap into the power that comes from Jesus's grace, and soon you will realize just truly how strong you are. Jesus is enough for you.

Be weak my friends!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Don't Waste Your Pain

-
Image
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction... - 2 Corinthians 1:3-9    Affliction (pain and suffering) is an inevitable, unavoidable, and repeatable part of life. None of us are exempt. While  we would all like to avoid affliction, the truth is that pain and affliction  serve a greater purpose , whether it comes from our own choices, the ordinary course of life, an attack of spiritual forces, or from God Himself.  Richard Cecil is noted as saying, "God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope, and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction.” Even  though we cannot avoid affliction, we can use it for the glory of God. That’s right. Your pain can be used to glorify God. How do we do this?    First, we need to learn to receive God's comfort. Much like in life, some folks are better at letting others "in" th
Read more

Dependent Upon God

-
Image
Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp..." Exodus 14:1    Have you ever stopped and considered why God led the Israelites to freedom by taking them through the desert? Really, think about the process for a moment. He led them out of the slavery for a day or two, then told them to turn back towards the city of their captivity, next to the sea, and make camp. This lead to their being trapped. Then He led them to a place with with plenty of water, but it was undrinkable. Not too long after that, when all their food provisions were depleted, He led them to a place where there was no food or water for themselves or their livestock. Why would God be so cruel? Well, if you know the rest of the story, then you may already know the answer. They were never trapped, for God parted the waters, allowing them safe passage through the sea and drowning their enemies. The undrinkable water was made drinkable, and they were provided food
Read more

Biblical Apprenticeship

-
Image
"...Go therefore and make disciples... ” - (Matt. 28:18-20)   The Greek word mathetai is the term we usually translate as disciple, and it expresses the idea of "student" or "pupil". To me, the best understanding today of the biblical principle of disciples is apprentices. Think about it, in a typical apprenticeship a new generation of practitioners are prepared with on-the-job training and often some accompanying classroom work and reading.  Apprenticeships typically last 3 to 6 years, and generally involve four steps:     (1)  Commitment - At this level the apprentice makes the commitment to stay the course by receiving the education and training necessary to become the “journeyman”.       (2) Classroom - At this phase, the apprentice receives the information necessary to understand and work within the sphere of labor.      (3) Training - At this phase, the apprentice begins to put the information they have learned into practice. First by wat
Read more