Title: Pride in Weak Things
Contents
2 Corinthians 12:5-10 boast in weaknesses
In fact, from a human point of view, the Apostle Paul was a man with many strengths, and he could boast of these things. He lists his human strengths in Philippians 3:4-9: “But I also have confidence in the flesh, and all the more so if anyone thinks that anyone else has any trust in the flesh, I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the house of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee, zealous. persecutes the church, and is blameless in the righteousness of the law. But whatever things that were useful to me I counted as loss for the sake of Christ, and all things as loss, because of the noblest knowledge of my Lord Christ Jesus. Losing everything for the sake of it and counting it as dung, so that Christ may be gained and found in him.”
In other words, Paul had the best religious background, which was very important to the Jews at that time. In addition, Paul was born with Roman citizenship from birth. In other words, Paul's family background is also quite strong. In addition, he was fluent in Greek, the official language of Rome at the time. In particular, he was amazed by the revelation and knowledge that God had given him, and he wrote 14 books, which is more than half of the New Testament. This is enough to show off your strengths. But he does not boast about these things, but rather boasts about his weaknesses.
So Paul prayed three times earnestly to God to let this disease go away from him. But God's answer is: “Paul, your grace is sufficient for me. For your power is made perfect in weakness.” In other words, God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh because he was a very good human being, so if he left alone he would become arrogant and depend on himself. Sometimes a disease, a thorn in the flesh, stings and says to Paul: “Dude, don’t be arrogant. Do not rely on yourself.”
Have you ever been weakened by disease, persecution, want, and hardship? If so, that's a big thing for you to be proud of. Because they make you whole and make you more a man of God. Therefore, it is easy to cover up these weaknesses at first because they are ashamed of them, but later they see that they are more beneficial to them and they will boast more about their weaknesses.
Once upon a time there lived a girl in England. Their eyes were all blue. However, only his eyes were brown. As the girl entered puberty, she worried a lot about the problem. The girl clinged to God and prayed. “God, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened. I want my eyes to be blue like my friends.”
The girl prayed earnestly as she wet her pillow with her tears. When he woke up in the morning, he looked in the mirror with anticipation and checked the color of his eyes. But the brown eyes didn't change at all. She was very discouraged. However, when the girl grew up and became an adult, she realized the good will of God. She became a missionary. was sent to India.
The people of India at that time were hostile to the Westerners. Especially when I saw a person with blue eyes, I didn't do anything at all. But her eyes were brown. Wearing Indian clothes and dressing up like an Indian, she looked like an Indian without fail. So he was able to make friends easily. It was easy to spread the gospel to them. This is the answer we receive from God's good will. Her shameful brown eyes were rather proud of her and became an instrument used by the Lord.
Guys, is there anything shameful about you too? Are you troubled and distressed by it? Does it make you feel weak and unhappy? Use this time as an opportunity to pour out your feelings and grudges to God. And meet God and listen to the voice of God. Jesus came to save people with problems and to find those who need his help. Therefore, if you have a painful problem or weakness, take an opportunity to tell Jesus about it, so I pray that you will meet Jesus and experience the grace of Jesus more deeply. Furthermore, I pray that you will reach a point where you can brag about the matter like Paul did.
After all, it is easy for a person to forget God when his back is warm and his stomach is full. But it is different when we are weak. "My God, I have no will, so I am raising my hand. If the Lord treats me, where will I go?" In doing so, you will automatically draw closer to God. The prodigal was like that. When I was strong, I left my father. But when he was weak, he raised his hands again and returned to his father.
So did Jacob. He heard that his brother Esau was coming to kill him with 400 men. In this crisis, he became infinitely weak. What did Jacob do then? I was left alone on the banks of the Yapbok River. He held the angel of God and prayed through the night. "God, I can't let go of this hand. You have to help me. I can't solve this problem on my own."
When all things were prosperous for him and he thought he was strong, Jacob did not seek God.
I got hung up. Eventually, he came face to face with God and resolved all of his problems with his brother Esau. The physical Jacob changed and became spiritual Israel. The loser, Jacob, became the true victor, Israel.
Dear saints, Do you too, living in this foreign land, feel that you are infinitely weak? It is a golden opportunity for us to draw closer to God. Sometimes God gives us weakness in order to call us closer. There are times when thorns, privations, hardships, and troubles will come. But keep in mind. It does not destroy oneself, but rather becomes a useful tool that equips me further. Therefore we brag about our weaknesses.
Look at the great leader Moses. When he grew up as the son of a princess and had mastered all the sciences of Egypt and became a strong man, he became arrogant and God could not use him. But rather, when he became infinitely weak while tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro in the wilderness for 40 years, he could become a humble man and become the leader of Israel whom God uses.
Ladies and gentlemen, you can see that God uses those who are deeply aware of their weaknesses, incompetence, and inadequacies, and greatly blesses them. So the Bible says: “There are not many wise among you, not many mighty, not many of noble families. But God chooses the foolish things in the world to shame the wise; God chooses the weak things in the world to shame the strong; so that no flesh should boast before God” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).