Thursday, February 13, 2014

When I am weak, then I am strong!



Here's a tid-bit of background to the author of this book...Paul was not a cool cat to know prior to him coming to know Jesus personally. He killed those that loved God. He made it his duty to kill anyone proclaiming God...even had himself believing it was the right thing to do & what he was called to do. BUT THEN...don't you love those words when God is involved?! :) Paul met Jesus on a road & was blinded. This guy...who hated & killed so many good people...blinded now & in darkness. He couldn't see who was around him. He couldn't see where to step & not to step. I'd imagine he pleaded daily that those followers of the ones he killed wouldn't come after him when they heard he was blind. I mean, they could kill him & no one know, right? Well, besides God anyway. But back to Paul...God caused Paul to be in a very weak state. A circumstance that required being dependent on others. A circumstance that required being in a very dark place, & for Paul that darkness was literal due to being blind. A circumstance that required no sign of stability or safety. A circumstance that required being alone with God & God only. Been there?? Maybe you're there right now?? I know I've been there a few times...honestly, I don't know how people make it through without knowing God & His complete love for us individually.

In these few verses in 2 Corinthians, Paul is pleading with God to take this "thorn" from his side. He wasn't just asking...he was BEGGING. He hated this "messenger of Satan," as the NIV Bible puts it. Apparently had God taken this "thorn" from Paul, it would've caused Paul more damage than the thorn itself was trying to cause. Paul states in verse 7 that God allowed this thorn to keep him (Paul) from becoming proud or conceited. Paul received many awesome revelations from God that he could have boasted to others about...unfortunately in a "Hey, look at me! Look who I am that God showed this to ME!" kind of way. God knew that this "thorn" would keep Paul's view in perspective. It was cause enough pain that Paul would look to God for comfort.


One of the definitions of thorn is "something that wounds, annoys, or causes discomfort." This "thorn" could be a multitude of things in our lives, but I ask what's your thorn?? For me, it's my anger. Ugh. I hate it, but God's grace is sufficient & in those moments of my human self wanting to RAGE, His grace is enough. His power is perfected in my weakness. Do I always have that outcome? Ha ha, no way! I wish I did, but I do know I'm getting better only by that grace of God's that's enough. :) "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." What does that mean to me? That I can be thankful in those learning moments of anger. That I can know it won't overcome me as the Holy Spirit is in me living & breathing & showing me His grace. That I get to have first-hand experience of God's AWESOME power! What about you? Can you see the "thorn" in your life now being a blessing?? I sure hope so. :)



Proverbs 31 Ministries Online Bible StudiesP31 OBS Blog Hop

6 comments:

  1. Jenn, this is such a Truth that I struggle with, too. Wanting that thorn to be gone and yet seeing it for the blessing it is able to provide: being able to minster to others in similar situations, learning greater patience as God works out His good within me, etc. Great encouragement here! Thanks for joining in with the Blog Hop thoughts today!

    :) Missy (OBS Blog Hop Team)

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    1. Thanks for the words of encouragement! I appreciate them greatly. :) It's true...God can work anything out to good, especially in those times we can share with others & help them along by what we've been through.

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  2. Oh those darn thorns! It is so easy to want a no-thorn life but it doesn't happen that way. Great blog! I loved reading it!
    Blessings, Amber (M2C Group 50)

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    1. It most definitely is easy to want comfort & easiness! Although it's in the thorny dark times, I grow the most. ;) Thanks for sharing!

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  3. This was a great blog! Thorns. Who in the world invented them anyway? Oh, that’s right, God did! You talked about how anger was your thorn. I deal with that sometimes too. But my biggest thorn though is patience. Or lack thereof. As an example, one morning on my way to work I was only about 2 blocks out and I was praying to God for patience. I have very little patience for timid drivers or people who aren’t moving “fast enough” for me, etc. So no sooner had I finished praying when here's a driver who is blinking to turn left to my left and then changed their mind and went straight. Are you kidding me????? And then a second later I was completely convicted of my sinful impatience. I mean, right out of the chute and I’m doing exactly what I had prayed I didn't want to do!! God’s grace IS sufficient and I need to learn to rest in it. I find myself doing things on the road that would make me burn if someone else did it and I realize that I have no idea what is going on in the other person's life and God’s grace is sufficient for them too! My patience is better but it is definitely a work in progress. Thanks Jenn and God bless!

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    1. Sorry I'm just getting back to you with a reply. Sheesh! I understand what you're talking of. My kids had road rage by the time they were 3. Hate to say that, but it's true. We've gotten better with that, but it was a wake-up call when they'd start yelling in the backseat just b/c I pushed on the brakes harder than normal! Another thing I've learned...patience is a fruit of the Spirit. Only by Him do we have patience. He'll give us times to grow that & develop it, but it's not something I can simply have as a human. ;) Thanks for sharing!

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