The Virtuous Life – Day 203 – 2 Corinthians 12-7-10 – Made Perfect In Weakness – Growing As Disciples
To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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. 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. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)
Weaknesses
Are you discouraged or depressed that you have weaknesses within you? Do you grieve that you have weaknesses within you? Do you wish that you were strong in every way? Do you have any idea where you would be and what you would be doing if you had no weaknesses within you? Would you know me if you had no weaknesses in you? Would you be following and serving me if you had no weaknesses in you? Would you be proud and self-reliant and self-sufficient if you never needed my help? Would you be able to bear fruit for my kingdom and bring glory to my name, if you accomplished all you set out to do, without relying on me? You have asked me some very good questions that I need to deeply consider. I must not pass other these questions quickly or take them lightly. Yes, you will do well to think deeply about all the questions that I have asked you.
What have you done because you are weak? What have you done because you need my help? What have you done when I have asked you to do something that was far beyond your own power and strength and abilities and talents? I have humbly come to you. I have asked you for your help. I have learned to rely on you. Would you rather have superhuman strength or the ability to place your faith in me and rely on my help? Would you rather be able to accomplish great things with or without my help? Well, those last two questions are hypothetical questions that will never be possible. How so? I will never have superhuman strength. Why is that? You created me to live in an intimate relationship with you. You won’t give me something that would cause me to live independently from you. It was an act of your love that caused you design me to want and need your help. It was your plan that I would place my faith in you and come to rely on you. So, me having superhuman strength was and is not ever going to part of your plan for me. That’s true. Your other hypothetical question is equally impossible. How so? Your word says, apart from you, I can do nothing. I have found that to be true. I can accomplish nothing of lasting and eternal value without your help. So, my accomplishing great things on my own, without your help is impossible. That is also true.
So, what to you think about your weaknesses now? My weaknesses have drawn me to you. My weaknesses have caused to cry out to you and ask for your help. My weaknesses have caused me to place my faith in you and rely on your help. You have worked in and through my weaknesses to bear fruit for your kingdom and bring glory to your name. Your power has been on display as you have done in and through me what I could have never done by myself. So, I can now rejoice in my weakness, as I rely on your power. That is very good. Thank you, Lord.
Lord, I have not liked having weaknesses in me. That is quite an understatement, isn’t it? OK, I have grieved having weaknesses in me. Now, I am finally understanding it is your plan to work through my weaknesses so your power and glory can be on display. Amen.
Key Question… What fruit is your life bearing because the Lord is powerfully working in and through your weaknesses?
Living It Out… Welcome the Lord to work powerfully in and through your weaknesses.
Seeing It Happen… Have faith that the Lord will work powerfully in and through your weaknesses.
Get Ready To Share… Share with another person or your small group how the Lord has worked in and through your weaknesses.
Prayer To Bless Others… May you allow God’s power to work in and through your weakness.
For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Devotional Study Guide click here
Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.
Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.
By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved Copying not permitted http://www.GrowingAsDisciples.com
