2 Corinthians 12:9 - Power in Weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9: Power in Weakness.
2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) My grace is sufficient for you, for my
power is made perfect in weakness.
INTRODUCTION
Here is recorded one of the greatest spiritual truths in all of
Scripture: God's strength is made perfect (complete, mature) in our
weakness. Verse 10 expresses it again in summary fashion: "For when I am
weak, then I [through Christ's power] am strong." [Believer's SB]
Jesus had taught his disciples this principle years before: "I
am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in
them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (John
15:5 NRSV). It is only when believers remain in Christ and rely on
Christ's power that they become truly effective. (Life Application
Commentary)
When we are strong in abilities or resources, we are tempted to
do God's work on our own, and that can lead to pride. When we are
weak, allowing God to fill us with 'his' power, then we are stronger
than we could ever be on our own. God does not intend for us to seek
to be weak, passive, or ineffective - life provides enough
hindrances and setbacks without us creating them. When those obstacles
come, we must depend on God. Only his power will make us effective for
him and will help us do work that has lasting value. [Life
Application SB]
COMMENTARY
Gods Grace and Bumps in the Road
Any process of change exposes our weaknesses. We want to make
changes, but when we bump up against our weaknesses, we can get
discouraged and think change is impossible. And it may be impossible - if we
are on our own.
But we're not on our own. God has given us his free gift of
the Holy Spirit who lives in us and empowers us. We only need to
ask, "Holy Spirit, please help me to accomplish this," and he is
there with us in power.
Don't expect him to make the process effortless or smooth,
because he wants your weaknesses to show off the fact that his power is
accomplishing everything. So don't demand perfection of yourself; aim for
progress in little steps, and celebrate your weaknesses. When you are
weak, God is strong. His grace truly is sufficient.
You can boast of your weaknesses when God is providing the
power to overcome. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional]
Gods Grace and Road-Blocks
When a problem can't be fixed, it can be endured. Not only
can we survive it, but we can also use it to grow more like Christ.
The apostle Paul faced many kinds of opposition that he couldn't
stop. He had to endure them, not in his own strength but in God's. God
told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). So Paul reveled in his
weaknesses because they pointed him to God's grace. Just as he cried out to
God for help, we too can do the same.
We don't have to handle problems on our own. As soon as we
turn to God and pray for his strength and wisdom, he is right there
enabling us to bear it. He "gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6 NKJV).
Humility means admitting we're human and need God. What a relief it is to
accept that.
Not only can we survive with weaknesses, we can thrive if we
are depending on God for his power to work through our weakness.
[The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional]
Gods Grace and Negativity
Some of us are masterful at finding something negative to say
about any situation. This negative thinking takes a positive
experience and taints it. Every silver lining has a cloud.
For instance, I wanted to get two hours more sleep a night,
but I've only managed one hour. I'm a complete failure.
What? This thought turns what was a good start into a big
fail. However, by reframing it with a truthful, positive spin, we can
actually make our brains release positive neurotransmitters that will
help us keep making healthy choices. For example, "I am already
getting an additional hour of sleep and have changed my lifestyle, so I
will continue making changes until I reach my goal of eight hours
each night." Isn't that a better way to take limitations "with good
cheer," as the apostle Paul says? With Christ's help, those limitations
won't have the last word.
You will see even more healthy changes in your life if you
learn to celebrate what is positive instead of focusing on the
negative. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional re 2Co. 12:10]
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
I am a God who heals. I heal broken bodies, broken minds,
broken hearts, broken lives, and broken relationships. My very Presence
has immense healing powers. You cannot live close to Me without
experiencing some degree of healing. However, it is also true that you have
not because you ask not. You receive the healing that flows
naturally from My Presence, whether you seek it or not. But there is more
- much more - available to those who ask.
The first step in receiving healing is to live ever so close
to Me. The benefits of this practice are too numerous to list. As
you grow more and more intimate with Me, I reveal My will to you
more directly. When the time is right, I prompt you to ask for
healing of some brokenness in you or in another person. The healing may
be instantaneous, or it may be a process. That is up to Me. Your
part is to trust Me fully and to thank Me for the restoration that
has begun.
I rarely heal all the brokenness in a person's life. Even My
servant Paul was told, "My grace is sufficient for you," when he sought
healing for the thorn in his flesh. Nonetheless, much healing is
available to those whose lives are intimately interwoven with Mine. Ask,
and you will receive. (Psa. 103:3; Jam. 4:2; 2 Cor. 12:7-9; Mat. 7:7
[Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
Thank Me for the conditions that are requiring you to be
still. Do not spoil these quiet hours by wishing them away, waiting
impatiently to be active again. Some of the greatest works in My kingdom
have been done from sick beds and prison cells. Instead of resenting
the limitations of a weakened body, search for My way in the midst
of these very circumstances. Limitations can be liberating when
your strongest desire is living close to Me.
Quietness and trust enhance your awareness of My Presence
with you. Do not despise these simple ways of serving Me. Although
you feel cut off from the activity of the world, your quiet trust
makes a powerful statement in spiritual realms. My Strength and Power
show themselves most effective in weakness. (Zec. 2:13; Isa. 30:15;
2Co. 12:9) [Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
CLOSING PEARL
Not many people get excited about their weaknesses. Usually,
we are embarrassed by them; we do everything possible to hide them;
we cringe if people think we're a "weak person." That was me - at
least back in the late sixties, when I was in high school. But a
reckless diving accident several weeks after graduation changed all that.
A broken neck left me a quadriplegic, without use of my hands or
legs. There was no way I could hide a "limitation" like my wheelchair.
I would wake up in the morning and cry out, "Oh God, I can't live
this way.... I don't have the strength to face a life of paralysis."
Then I stumbled onto 2 Corinthians 12:9.
It began to dawn on me that my weakness might very well turn
out to be a strength - it would force me into the arms of Jesus out
of sheer desperation. And I learned that's not a bad place to be.
Nearly forty years have passed, and I am still going to God
every morning, urgently looking for help and hope. I have learned that
my paralysis is my passport to peace, power, and a perspective sent
straight from heaven. "Boasting in your weakness" is the Christian way to
live. It's the biblical way. In fact, it is the only - the best - way
to live! And I would rather be in my wheelchair needing Jesus than
be on my feet without him.
Joni Eareckson Tada, founder and CEO of Joni and Friends
International Disability Center, is a national disability advocate and the
author of more than forty books, including Joni, her best-selling
autobiography. [The One Year Bible Live Verse Devotional]
MINI-VIDEO ON THIS PASSAGE:
Finding Strength in Weakness by Pastor Boonstra;
http://www.itiswritten.com/television/episodes/2502
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2014/20140827-1650.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160213-1454.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES AND SEMINARS
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
http://www.aBible.com
