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HisStrengthisPerfect
Have you ever gone through such an intense fire in your life that youve pleaded with God to spare you any more pain or at the least, pleaded with him to work one of His miracles and quickly fix your circumstances? If you have, you are not alone. The Apostle Paul did that very thing. He described his malady as a thorn in the flesh and he basically says that Satan was permitted to bring this deep difficulty on him. The words Paul uses are: a messenger of Satan to buffet me. The word buffet comes from a Greek word that means: to strike with the fist, to mistreat violently. So clearly, what he was experiencing was extremely painful and difficult. Paul pleaded three times for the Lord to take it away from him. And after Gods third and final no, Paul gave one of the greatest acceptance speeches in history in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10: And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christs sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. That defies all human reasoning, doesnt it? It is what Jacob, one of our Patriarchs of the faith discovered as God caused his hip socket to come out of place during a lengthy physical wrestling match. When Jacob could no longer stand on his own, his struggling quickly turned into him clinging to God. At his weakest moment, he found his greatest strength because he had finally surrendered his will and desires to the One whose will and desires for him (just as it is for us) far exceeds anything we could possibly dream or imagine. Paul recognized this as he gave his acceptance speech of what God was allowing into his life. He recognized his pain as having great value and purpose. He recognized that he had nothing to boast about in his own right. Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 9:23-24: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the Lord. (NKJV) The only reason Paul could make such an incredible acceptance speech was because he intimately knew his Heavenly Father. When we know Him, and walk closely with Him, we can rest in His sovereignty and cling to Him in complete surrender, and only then will we experience that spiritual phenomenon of experiencing our greatest strength in our weakest moments. Reflection: (Journal your thoughts on the back of this page) We arent exactly sure what the Apostle Pauls thorn in his flesh was. Needless to say, it was difficult for him to endure. But, he chose to accept what God had allowed into his life as he shifted his focus from his pain to the tangible offering of Gods strength and grace. Is there an area in your life that you have been depending on your own strength? Are you weary, in need of some relief? Your next step involves a choice: Will I shift my focus from my circumstances and pain to accepting Gods strength and grace so that I can be forever changed?

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