Glorying in Our Weaknesses

And He said unto me, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore will I glory rather in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (21st Century King James Version)

Paul went from asking that something be removed from his life to rejoicing in it. How? He saw what God could do in and through that weakness. He saw that Christ’s strength was perfected in it and His power would descend upon him in that area. In other words, God’s ability and influence would be seen and experienced as well as His work accomplished in the places that would normally make Paul cringe.

I have often asked God to remove certain tendencies and weaknesses in me. Not so much the physical weaknesses (as was Paul’s case) but the emotional ones. I have asked Him to change me or at least deaden me to things that pull at me. I have read books. I have consulted others. I have attempted behavior modification. I have listened to speakers. One thing I have not done, though, is glory in it. Neither have I rejoiced or boasted in it. I have seen it as nothing but a despicable part of myself and tried in vain to distance myself from that part of me.

Paul is serving as my example today. In his weakness he served his Creator. In his weakness he pointed others to Jesus. In his weakness he displayed the work of God in his life. In his weakness he walked in victory. How? He was governed by God’s divine grace and power. God was able to work in and through Paul in his weakness and His working was all the more evident because of it. Rather than limit Paul, it unleashed the power of God in him.

Scripture attests to the fact that God chose weak vessels to accomplish His work. Most of the ones God worked through felt disqualified or unqualified. The truth of the matter was that they were the most usable. The same is true of us today. Why? So God will get the credit and not people. Even those who possess great abilities and talents must acknowledge those things come from God. While they may have worked hard to develop those gifts, God is the One who enabled them to do so.

If my weaknesses can be the backdrop for God’s grace and power to be displayed than I choose to embrace them and glory in them. Rather than something to be dreaded and grieved over, it is now something to joy in for God’s influence and strength rest on me!

Father, I invite You to do Your greatest and most powerful work in my area of weakness. I will give You the praise for all that means and looks like. Amen.

His Strength is Perfect - Steven Curtis Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_lld_vUCY

Getting into God's Word and letting God's Word get into me one truth at a time.