2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Ah my beautiful Friends, this is a significant aspect of scripture, re the testing of our faith, and in particular how Bruh Paul handled his weaknesses. But before we get into all the whys and wherefores, let’s hear a quote that shows what the end result of all our actions should be. ‘My message is peace of mind, not curing cancer, blindness, or paraplegia… Anyone who is willing to work at it can achieve it.’ That’s attributed to one Bernie S. Siegel, and he preaches the gospel truth there. The end product, the goal of all our doings should be peace of mind, my Friends. That means coming to terms with all that’s right, wrong or indifferent in our lives. Bruh Paul finally got it when he realized that the thorn in his flesh, whatever it was, was God’s way of keeping him from exalting himself, from boasting of his many and varied accomplishments. And it’s three times he asked the Lord to remove his affliction. (2 Cor.12:7-8) To which the Lord replied: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Exactly my people! The Lord’s strength, His almighty power is shown in our frailties, our weaknesses. When we are too weak to perform our tasks, He steps in and lends us His awesome strength to complete them. It’s a resounding testimony to His grace and faithfulness, allowing others to see us operating successfully under great stress and strain through His generous help, thereby adding to the glorification of His Holy Name. Nobody knows what Bruh Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh, messenger of satan,’ was, though the scholars claim that a strong argument could be made for eye problems, ophthalmia. However, using the scriptures they quote as possible proof, I disagree. (Acts 13:9; 23:1. Galatians 4:14-15; 6:11) You can check them for yourselves and see what you think. Among some of the other views put forward are; temptation from Lucifer, opposition from his adversaries, some intense bodily pain, a recurring physical affliction, such as the eye problems, even some form of mental or psychological disturbance. Hn! But whatever it was, it caused him pain, and possibly embarrassment. And we all know a thing or two about thorns in the flesh, especially the old codgers, like me. I have so many that I can’t even count them, and after hearing God’s response to Bruh Paul, I certainly don’t ask Him to take them away, afraid He’ll tell me the same thing. (smile) But He does ease them up occasionally. The important thing though my Friends, is that we don’t allow whatever physical, mental or emotional drawbacks we face, to prevent us from doing the Lord’s work, the plans that He’s put in our hearts. As you can see, it never stopped Bruh Paul. As he says; ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ That follows on from what he said in the previous chapter. ‘If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.’ (2 Cor.11:30) Apparently some of the Corinthians were downplaying his efforts and achievements as an apostle, so he was enumerating some the many hardships and trials he’d been through for the gospel’s sake, but he was only willing to boast about his weaknesses. As he declares later on: ‘I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.’ (2 Cor.12:11) He’s not really boasting, just stating the fact that though he suffered a lot for the gospel’s sake, he was not properly appreciated, and held in much lower esteem that some of the other apostles. Likewise my people, instead of boasting of our great accomplishments, which in any case come through our Lord’s grace and magnanimous favour, we ought to be more concerned with our weaknesses; those areas in which we can’t do much on our own, but desperately need God’s help to set them right. As Bruh Paul goes on to say; ‘Therefore I take pleasures in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:10) And all God’s people said a rousing, ‘Amen!’ That’s an indisputable fact mih breddren! When we undergo negative situations, but persevere to the end, through our faith and the stalwart Spirit of Christ operating in us, then we are really showing our innermost strength, our belly and backbone. The negativity could be physical, mental or emotional, but such that we don’t have the strength to fight it on our own. That’s when we need to call on the Lord, to dig down deep in our souls and find the wherewithal to stand strong. As Peter says ‘If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet.4:14) Oh so true my people! When we suffer insults and negative actions in Jesus’ name, then we should be thrilled because God’s Spirit rests on us; He is proud of us for standing strong on His behalf. The perpetrator of the negative action won’t be looked upon kindly, but by being steadfast and true, we’ll be glorifying Jesus’ Name. And Friends, there’s no better act that we can perform. So my people, though we have all sorts of aches, pains and thorns, not only in the flesh, but also in the mind and soul, let’s try to rise above them, use them to bolster our faith and thereby glorify our wonderful God, whose strength is made perfect in our weakness. That’s the only way we’ll ever achieve peace of mind. Much LOVE!...though trials persist…and tribulations abound…yet in my God…will I find strength to persevere and overcome…
Ah my beautiful Friends, this is a significant aspect of scripture, re the testing of our faith, and in particular how Bruh Paul handled his weaknesses. But before we get into all the whys and wherefores, let’s hear a quote that shows what the end result of all our actions should be. ‘My message is peace of mind, not curing cancer, blindness, or paraplegia… Anyone who is willing to work at it can achieve it.’ That’s attributed to one Bernie S. Siegel, and he preaches the gospel truth there. The end product, the goal of all our doings should be peace of mind, my Friends. That means coming to terms with all that’s right, wrong or indifferent in our lives. Bruh Paul finally got it when he realized that the thorn in his flesh, whatever it was, was God’s way of keeping him from exalting himself, from boasting of his many and varied accomplishments. And it’s three times he asked the Lord to remove his affliction. (2 Cor.12:7-8) To which the Lord replied: ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Exactly my people! The Lord’s strength, His almighty power is shown in our frailties, our weaknesses. When we are too weak to perform our tasks, He steps in and lends us His awesome strength to complete them. It’s a resounding testimony to His grace and faithfulness, allowing others to see us operating successfully under great stress and strain through His generous help, thereby adding to the glorification of His Holy Name. Nobody knows what Bruh Paul’s ‘thorn in the flesh, messenger of satan,’ was, though the scholars claim that a strong argument could be made for eye problems, ophthalmia. However, using the scriptures they quote as possible proof, I disagree. (Acts 13:9; 23:1. Galatians 4:14-15; 6:11) You can check them for yourselves and see what you think. Among some of the other views put forward are; temptation from Lucifer, opposition from his adversaries, some intense bodily pain, a recurring physical affliction, such as the eye problems, even some form of mental or psychological disturbance. Hn! But whatever it was, it caused him pain, and possibly embarrassment. And we all know a thing or two about thorns in the flesh, especially the old codgers, like me. I have so many that I can’t even count them, and after hearing God’s response to Bruh Paul, I certainly don’t ask Him to take them away, afraid He’ll tell me the same thing. (smile) But He does ease them up occasionally. The important thing though my Friends, is that we don’t allow whatever physical, mental or emotional drawbacks we face, to prevent us from doing the Lord’s work, the plans that He’s put in our hearts. As you can see, it never stopped Bruh Paul. As he says; ‘Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.’ That follows on from what he said in the previous chapter. ‘If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.’ (2 Cor.11:30) Apparently some of the Corinthians were downplaying his efforts and achievements as an apostle, so he was enumerating some the many hardships and trials he’d been through for the gospel’s sake, but he was only willing to boast about his weaknesses. As he declares later on: ‘I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.’ (2 Cor.12:11) He’s not really boasting, just stating the fact that though he suffered a lot for the gospel’s sake, he was not properly appreciated, and held in much lower esteem that some of the other apostles. Likewise my people, instead of boasting of our great accomplishments, which in any case come through our Lord’s grace and magnanimous favour, we ought to be more concerned with our weaknesses; those areas in which we can’t do much on our own, but desperately need God’s help to set them right. As Bruh Paul goes on to say; ‘Therefore I take pleasures in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.’ (2 Cor. 12:10) And all God’s people said a rousing, ‘Amen!’ That’s an indisputable fact mih breddren! When we undergo negative situations, but persevere to the end, through our faith and the stalwart Spirit of Christ operating in us, then we are really showing our innermost strength, our belly and backbone. The negativity could be physical, mental or emotional, but such that we don’t have the strength to fight it on our own. That’s when we need to call on the Lord, to dig down deep in our souls and find the wherewithal to stand strong. As Peter says ‘If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.’ (1 Pet.4:14) Oh so true my people! When we suffer insults and negative actions in Jesus’ name, then we should be thrilled because God’s Spirit rests on us; He is proud of us for standing strong on His behalf. The perpetrator of the negative action won’t be looked upon kindly, but by being steadfast and true, we’ll be glorifying Jesus’ Name. And Friends, there’s no better act that we can perform. So my people, though we have all sorts of aches, pains and thorns, not only in the flesh, but also in the mind and soul, let’s try to rise above them, use them to bolster our faith and thereby glorify our wonderful God, whose strength is made perfect in our weakness. That’s the only way we’ll ever achieve peace of mind. Much LOVE!...though trials persist…and tribulations abound…yet in my God…will I find strength to persevere and overcome…
SCRIP-BITS 