Day 18
Do We Have Bragging Rights
Most of us are irritated with excessive bragging. Watching a professional football game with excessive celebrations when a touchdown is scored, or a tackle is executed becomes very annoying. Touchdowns and tackles are expected. Being pleased with an exceptional play is reasonable. It would be better if a player lets his teammates pat him on the back rather than the player patting himself on the chest!
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (CSB) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. 10So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The apostle Paul boasted about his weaknesses. Bragging on one’s weaknesses is certainly something we do not see in a selfie-generated culture. It seems that people excessively brag about everything they have accomplished! The Apostle Paul chooses an entirely different approach. Instead of relying on himself, the Apostle Paul knew that God would provide the power of the Holy Spirit for Paul to accomplish supernatural results. It was God, not Paul who won people to Christ, established churches, trained Believers, and escaped vicious attacks. Can you imagine taking pleasure in being insulted and suffering persecution? That was Paul!
Weaknesses are usually the way out of doing something. For us to be successful, we rely on our strengths, what we are best at doing. But that is not the way God works in His people. Moses said he was slow in speech. The Hebrew word is a ‘heavy’ tongue. Moses said he could not talk well in front of people. Yet God overcame this weakness of Moses and Moses spoke to the ruler of the most powerful nation on earth at that time, Pharoah, Ruler of Egypt!
Abraham was the founding father of the Jewish nation. God came to Abraham and told him, at age 100 and his wife Sarah at age 90, they would have a son. They both thought this was impossible. Abraham doubted and Sarah laughed. One year later Isaac was born. God moves in the impossible!
Moses was weak. Abraham and Sarah were weak. Paul was weak. God moved powerfully through weak people to accomplish the impossible! Where are you weak? Be encouraged, God is seeking to empower you!
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT) So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
God desires to accomplish His purpose through you. We may see our weakness as a dilemma when God sees our weakness as a destiny. Then we give God the glory for what only He can accomplish! God is there for us when we need Him the most!
Most of us are irritated with excessive bragging. Watching a professional football game with excessive celebrations when a touchdown is scored, or a tackle is executed becomes very annoying. Touchdowns and tackles are expected. Being pleased with an exceptional play is reasonable. It would be better if a player lets his teammates pat him on the back rather than the player patting himself on the chest!
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (CSB) But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. 10So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The apostle Paul boasted about his weaknesses. Bragging on one’s weaknesses is certainly something we do not see in a selfie-generated culture. It seems that people excessively brag about everything they have accomplished! The Apostle Paul chooses an entirely different approach. Instead of relying on himself, the Apostle Paul knew that God would provide the power of the Holy Spirit for Paul to accomplish supernatural results. It was God, not Paul who won people to Christ, established churches, trained Believers, and escaped vicious attacks. Can you imagine taking pleasure in being insulted and suffering persecution? That was Paul!
Weaknesses are usually the way out of doing something. For us to be successful, we rely on our strengths, what we are best at doing. But that is not the way God works in His people. Moses said he was slow in speech. The Hebrew word is a ‘heavy’ tongue. Moses said he could not talk well in front of people. Yet God overcame this weakness of Moses and Moses spoke to the ruler of the most powerful nation on earth at that time, Pharoah, Ruler of Egypt!
Abraham was the founding father of the Jewish nation. God came to Abraham and told him, at age 100 and his wife Sarah at age 90, they would have a son. They both thought this was impossible. Abraham doubted and Sarah laughed. One year later Isaac was born. God moves in the impossible!
Moses was weak. Abraham and Sarah were weak. Paul was weak. God moved powerfully through weak people to accomplish the impossible! Where are you weak? Be encouraged, God is seeking to empower you!
Hebrews 4:14-16 (NLT) So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
God desires to accomplish His purpose through you. We may see our weakness as a dilemma when God sees our weakness as a destiny. Then we give God the glory for what only He can accomplish! God is there for us when we need Him the most!
Posted in 40 Days - 2022