This Month's Devotional Thought

School's back and fall sports are in full swing.  As your seasons are beginning the Olympics just ended filled with victories and loses.  Victories are awesome but most of the time we can learn more from losing.  For example, American Dawn Harper took advantage of a mistake from favorite Lolo Jones to win the women’s 100m hurdles final.  Jones, also from the US, was clearly leading after 80m but clipped the last barrier to let in Harper who claimed victory in 12.54 seconds.  While Jones collapsed to the floor in disappointment ending seventh.  Jones described the moment it went wrong for her in the race.  “At the middle part of the race the hurdles came up very fast,” the American said.  “I wanted to keep things tight.  It was like racing a car at high velocity.  When you hit a curve, you either maintain control of it or you crash and burn.  Today I crashed and burned.”  She added: “Today is hard.  Tomorrow will be harder.  I just have to get myself back up.”

      2 Corinthians 12:6-10 (NLT) If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth.  But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God.  So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.  Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said, “My grace is all you need.  My power works best in weakness/”  So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

MANY OF US PROBABLY THINK OF THE APOSTLE PAUL AS THE “OLYMPIAN” OF OUR CHRISTIAN FAITH.  ACCORDING TO TODAY’S SCRIPTURE, HOW DID PAUL GET HIS POWER?    

Paul is simply telling us that God’s supernatural power shows up in weak people!  Though we don’t know exactly what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh’ was, it probably was some sort of disease of the eyes, or perhaps epilepsy.  Whatever it was, it was serious enough to keep him from working in his ministry at times.  Even though Paul asked God to remove his problem, God allowed it to continue so that Paul would remain humble and rely on God for his strength.  The Lord promised to display His power in Paul’s weakness!

Let’s be honest.  Haven’t we noticed that when we’re feeling strong in our own abilities, we often tend to forget about relying on God’s Holy Spirit to give us strength?  When we’re weak, we turn to God and allow Him to fill us with power.

Then in Christ’s strength, we’re faster than a world speeding out of control...more powerful than Satan’s attacks against us...able to leap over times of trial and discouragement.  This happens only if we allow God to be in control and don’t try to do it all on our own.

Thank God for giving Paul the words to write down His Truth!  Confess any way in which you have been getting “puffed up” in your own strength. Thank Jesus for His forgiveness for the times you attempt to be “superchristian”.  Ask His Spirit to help you simply recognize every day that in your weakness, Jesus provides His supernatural strength.

Let's really strive to not be “puffed up” in our own strength.  Let us be weak so Jesus may make us strong.  Weakness that provides a humble heart willing to share our God.                                                  

 Pastor Scott