God flips the script on what we normally tell ourselves and he does it with an uber powerful gift.
2 Corinthians 12: 9-10 9 But he said to me, “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. 10 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.
Something we don’t understand
Paul’s words to the people in Corinth seem odd to us today but they’re intended to be words of comfort to people that were examining themselves and unfortunately finding that they were lacking. This shouldn’t be hard at all for us to understand.
This is how we do it
Too often we feel compelled to measure ourselves against others and it always seems like they have it all together. Our weaknesses don’t seem to be a concern whatsoever to them. The things that we struggle with seem to be a breeze for them and nothing ever seems to get them down. Life appears to roll out for them like some magic carpet ride filled with good things, great relationships and rewarding careers. The encouraging words Paul is trying to give us are that by accepting the grace of God we have a power unrivaled by anything here on earth.
God flips it on its head
In our struggle, He makes us capable. Our weakness is nothing because of His strength. Our depression and our feelings of being put down become uplifting and encouraging. The difficult people become blessings and the toil of our work becomes a joy to undertake each day. How does this happen? Well, there’s the catch, we have to accept a gift. Sounds tough, huh?
This is how He does it
It’s a gift we don’t deserve. It’s a gift we haven’t earned. It’s a gift we can’t, in our limited capabilities as humans, really even fathom. That gift is grace and it makes all the difference in the world. Once we accept it, the things that used to make us feel weak, now become our strength because we know we have a God that gives us immeasurable abilities and immeasurable talents to see us through no matter what. Thank God.
Something to think about
Where and how do you need to accept God’s grace and fill yourself with his power?