Read 2nd Cor 12: 6-10
I have struggled to humbly keep quiet during a pointless argument, to give a gentle answer in response to a harsh word, to forgive etc … These are hard things… even humiliating things. And yet, His grace is sufficient for us to obey…
Paul was talking about all the great things God had accomplished through him when he included this passage about weakness to show that even then he was just a man and with that suffered weaknesses. For Paul, a messanger of Satan was sent to torment him so that he would remain humble. For me, my own sin and inadequacies always remind me that I am indeed just a human being even though I serve in ministry and many people look up to me. I am nothing, just a vessel. It is God who does the work. It is God who deserves the glory.
However the main point of the passage is not Paul’s weakness and by application our weaknesses. We shouldn’t dwell so much on those except only as much as they point us to God’s sufficient grace. This is not just the grace to accomplish great things. But also the grace to endure great suffering. In today’s Christianity many people do not want to hear such a message. They want promises that excite the flesh. But the truth is that if any of us will follow Jesus, we must be prepared to take up our cross and follow Him.
Suffering for me has come in the form of temptation to indulge my flesh – prideful stubbornness, lust, grumbling and complaining, gluttony, anger, malice etc. I have struggled to humbly keep quiet during a pointless argument, to give a gentle answer in response to a harsh word, to do something I have to do without complaining, to forgive and the list goes on. These are hard things to do. Incredibly hard and even humiliating. And yet, His grace is sufficient for us to obey and live victoriously. He has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
In Him and through Him, we can endure the pain of resisting temptation and doing the right thing. Overtime the pangs of resistance from the flesh with lessen and obedience will not be such great a struggle. The goal is for obedience to be our default. Like Abraham waking up early the following morning to obey God to sacrifice his son. Imagine that. Unquestioned prompt obedience.
Brothers and sisters, His grace is sufficient for us. And even as we stumble through life and ministry, He is still choosing to use us in our weakness. Let us not boast about our competencies – they cannot accomplish anything worth while. Let us boast about the grace of God in our weakness. Let us exalt the Lord all the more and give Him all the glory. Let us obey Him with fear and trembling even to the point of death because even for that, His grace is sufficient.