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.
Some of us have physical infirmities, some have spiritual or emotional infirmities. No matter what your problem, if God says to keep going you have few options! You just keep going! But...perhaps some timely reflection about what God wants might be in order.
I have several issues I need to work out, but one is more pressing than all the others. I have spent the last week whining about it to the Lord...I know he said to cast your cares on him, but he also wants you to be smart enough to know when to shut up!
Now guys, you may or may not believe that God talks to you in a way in which you can get a clear message. Personally, I get messages from God all the time because I have trained myself to look for them. Not all of them are yes answers, either! The problem with most of us is that we do not believe in our heart of hearts that God will, or should, say no! Some of us (me) tend to think that if you have suffered with a problem for a while that God should just say, Ok, that is enough...it's over! It does not work that way. God is waiting for you to learn the lesson he is trying to teach you. Not easy!
I think that one problem with modern Christians is that even though some of us understand that God can say no, we still somewhere in the back of our mind have the feeling that God really does not want us to suffer and that everything should be a bed of roses. I am getting the feeling that we have got it wrong.
Moses was a great leader but he suffered and God held him to a strict standard of obedience. Isaiah was a great prophet who knew the Lord but his life was not an easy one. Jeremiah suffered all of his life for his commitment to the Lord. The Apostle Paul was an educated man and could have been wealthy if he had used his abilities to further his own cause, and yet, God told him, "my grace is sufficient." The apostle John who loved Jesus and was loved dearly in return lived to be an old man but suffered all the way.
I urge you today to take a moment to think about your goals and where you want the Lord to take you. If you have high aspirations in your service to God it will not come easy. It has been said that the way of the cross leads home. Look at this verse again with new eyes. Are you looking for power with God in your life? That power is not going to come easily or without a price.
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.
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke had a good understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus Christ. He added the word daily to this great command that is found in Matthew and Mark. I believe the reason Luke added daily to this verse is because it is necessary to re-commit your life to your purpose of serving the Lord every day! Not just once at the beginning! We are a fickle people and we lose our sense of direction and purpose. We must re-commit every day and maybe morning and evening if necessary. My cross is not the same as your cross. These burdens sometimes get the best of us. Sometimes we fall...and fail! I am going to glory in my infirmities, wait patiently on the Lord, make new commitments, and receive the power of God in my life. There can be no other way! Join me!
Blessings!
I have several issues I need to work out, but one is more pressing than all the others. I have spent the last week whining about it to the Lord...I know he said to cast your cares on him, but he also wants you to be smart enough to know when to shut up!
Now guys, you may or may not believe that God talks to you in a way in which you can get a clear message. Personally, I get messages from God all the time because I have trained myself to look for them. Not all of them are yes answers, either! The problem with most of us is that we do not believe in our heart of hearts that God will, or should, say no! Some of us (me) tend to think that if you have suffered with a problem for a while that God should just say, Ok, that is enough...it's over! It does not work that way. God is waiting for you to learn the lesson he is trying to teach you. Not easy!
I think that one problem with modern Christians is that even though some of us understand that God can say no, we still somewhere in the back of our mind have the feeling that God really does not want us to suffer and that everything should be a bed of roses. I am getting the feeling that we have got it wrong.
Moses was a great leader but he suffered and God held him to a strict standard of obedience. Isaiah was a great prophet who knew the Lord but his life was not an easy one. Jeremiah suffered all of his life for his commitment to the Lord. The Apostle Paul was an educated man and could have been wealthy if he had used his abilities to further his own cause, and yet, God told him, "my grace is sufficient." The apostle John who loved Jesus and was loved dearly in return lived to be an old man but suffered all the way.
I urge you today to take a moment to think about your goals and where you want the Lord to take you. If you have high aspirations in your service to God it will not come easy. It has been said that the way of the cross leads home. Look at this verse again with new eyes. Are you looking for power with God in your life? That power is not going to come easily or without a price.
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.
Luke 9:23
And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke had a good understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus Christ. He added the word daily to this great command that is found in Matthew and Mark. I believe the reason Luke added daily to this verse is because it is necessary to re-commit your life to your purpose of serving the Lord every day! Not just once at the beginning! We are a fickle people and we lose our sense of direction and purpose. We must re-commit every day and maybe morning and evening if necessary. My cross is not the same as your cross. These burdens sometimes get the best of us. Sometimes we fall...and fail! I am going to glory in my infirmities, wait patiently on the Lord, make new commitments, and receive the power of God in my life. There can be no other way! Join me!
Blessings!
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