Title: The ability to become whole from weakness
Contents
♡♥♡ Ability to become whole in weakness / 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
*** Introduction
There are many paradoxical truths in the Bible that are contrary to worldly ideas. One of them is the verse in today's text.
The great Paul, who wrote 13 of the 27 books of the New Testament, had a disease called “the thorn of Satan.” Paul asked God three times to remove the thorn in order to get rid of that pain. But the Lord's answer was, "My grace is sufficient for you." The reason is, “For the power of the Lord is made perfect in weakness of man.” “The power to be made perfect in weakness.” This is certainly not a worldly idea.
The meaning of these words is that when a person admits his weakness, he trusts and leans on the power of God. But the world seldom admits to his weakness. Even if it's your own incompetence and mistakes, you make excuses until the end and hope it's not. The reason is that you don't want to appear weak.
But what about God's view of man? In James 4:14, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” In Psalm 78:39, “They are only flesh. He remembered that it is a wind that goes and never returns.” And in Isaiah 45:9, “He who is like a piece of earthenware… ” he said. If we want to receive God's favor, we must admit our weaknesses.
The French painter ‘Gogh’ once worked as an evangelist in a mine when he was young. One day, Gogh saw a miner making a shirt out of the fabric from which it was wrapped. The shirt had writing, which was originally written on the packaging. There it is written, ‘It is fragile, so handle it with care’. It is said that Gogh was deeply moved when he saw the writing on the clothes worn by the miners.
What was the purpose of God giving Paul a thorn in the flesh?
Let's look at verse 7. He said, “Because the revelations were exceedingly great, a thorn, or an angel of Satan, was given in my flesh so that I would not sleep too much, so that I would not be overslept.”
But he said that the purpose of giving this painful thorn was to prevent Paul's pride. It was because the revelation Paul received was so mysterious and so great that he could be proud. If someone had received such a great revelation today, how famous and proud would they have become?
There are times when we also give thorns like this to our saints. The thorn may be a disease of your own body, or it may be a difficult environment. God allows these painful thorns to keep us from turning away from God's grace and destroying our souls. God knows us best, so He knows what we are weak in. So, it is a device to keep us awake so that the weak part is not penetrated by Satan.
This is the testimony of Deacon Lee Kyung-ok of Gwanglim Church in Seoul It was a life of smooth living and a life of always giving thanks to the Lord through the 10 years of faith. Then one summer, it was the day after the retreat. In the meantime, I went to the hospital with my husband, who was unable to see well and was unable to go down stairs at night due to night blindness.
“The nerve in my left eye was so damaged that I was on the verge of blindness, and my right eye was also hurt so much that I was desperate.” The deacons and married couple were envious of others because they have been doing their job well and working hard in their religious life so far. But suddenly, he was in an environment like the blue sky. This deacon couple prayed in pain and came to realize themselves.
I came to realize that my religious life for 10 years was a continuation of a ‘me’-centered religious life, a ‘life only for my family’. Deacon Lee said, “My husband and I, who had been doing choir because they liked me, missionary and volunteer work because they liked me, and doing anything if they liked me, have broken their selves and gained the experience of the Holy Spirit and the assurance of salvation.” confessed.
Since then, the life of this deacon and couple has started to change from being ‘me’ to ‘God-centered’, and their eyes are continuing to stabilize.
The thorn of life given to man like this is the consideration of God's love to maintain eternal life.
What should be our attitude toward life's thorns?
Even if the thorn in your life is the consideration of God's love, the pain itself is never a good thing. Because there are many who are even more depraved by these thorns. However, we must remember that such an environment is an opportunity to receive God's grace.
The Apostle Paul said, “My grace is sufficient for you. For my power is made perfect in weakness.” Realizing the Lord's will, he accepted the suffering with joy. He went one step further and said, “I will boast about my weaknesses.” By doing so, he said, “I want the power of Christ to abide in me.”
The Lord says Let's look at 1 Corinthians 1:27-29. “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; God chose the lowly and despised things of the world, and the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are. , so that no flesh should boast before God.”
That's right. God does not work with those who boast of their strength and abilities. It is because those who believe in their own strength and ability never glorify God, but rather think that they are good enough to do so.
Even if we are weak and there are circumstances of pain and suffering, we believe and give thanks to God who made them happen. And because of my weakness, I depend on and seek the power of God. This is the attitude of the saints that pleases God.
The world's only worm monument is erected in 'Enterprise' in southern Alabama, USA. In 1895, Mexican cotton weevil began to appear in the Enterprise, and Alabama's cotton production was almost wiped out. In order to survive, cotton farmers planned a multifaceted agricultural operation with great success by cultivating corn, potatoes and peanuts instead of cotton.
In 1919, twenty-five years after the appearance of the cotton weevil, the peanut production there was enormous, and the income could not be compared to that of cotton growing. That year, the residents erected a monument. "In the name of the former inhabitants of the Enterprise, I erect this tower in gratitude for the great achievements the worm has accomplished as heralds of prosperity." The inscription on the tower.
Dear saints, we must remember that those who are saints of our God cannot do anything beyond the will of God. If so, let's be thankful for God's grace to make us who we are and obey with joy. By relying on God's power to accomplish greater things.