“And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Weakness – none of us want to think of ourselves as weak. And yet, these Scriptures tell us that in those very moments of weakness – we are at our strongest in and through Jesus.
“Paul was rich in Christian character because he permitted God to mold and make him in the painful experiences of his life. When you walk along the shore of the ocean, you notice that the rocks are sharp in the quiet coves, but polished in those places where the waves beat against them. God can use the “waves and billows” of life to polish us, if we will let Him.” (Wiersbe Study Bible, page 1715)
Lord, we thank You for the strength You give to us in our moments of weakness. Help us this week to find our strength in You. In Your Name we pray, Amen.
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The reading on this morning caused my heart to soar! Seriously, I felt like the Lord had been eavesdropping on a recent conversation.
We were sharing how there is a stigma attached to COVID. It is as if it has come to mean we were careless, didn’t care about others, or were defiant. We seem to have forgotten that anyone can get it anywhere, even when they are careful.
Testimonies of struggles, hardships, and pain are not stories we should be ashamed of and today’s reading confirmed that in a most powerful way:
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”
(2 Timothy 1:8-9, NASB)
“Suffering may well be part of a faithful Christian life. Christians should not suffer because they have done wrong; rather, they sometimes suffer because they have done right and served God … We are part of a great eternal plan that God determined “before time began”. God knows the end from the beginning. He has purposes for His people to accomplish for His glory. Suffering is a part of that plan … It is His purposes that we are to fulfill, and if these purposes include suffering, then we can accept it by faith and know that God’s will is best. This is not fatalism. It is confidence in the wise plan of our gracious heavenly Father.”
(from the Wiersbe Study Bible, page 1779)
Father, help us and our families to be confident in Your wise plan for our lives. Help us to be faithful to You in every circumstance, even when it is hard or painful, and fulfill the purposes You have for each of us. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
“Trials teach us what we are. They dig up the soil and let us know what we’re made of.” (C.H. Spurgeon)
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We brought the month of January to a close with reading Matthew 25:40:
“The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” (NASB)
Lord, move our hearts to see the “least”. Move our hands to reach out to them. Bring Your love to life inside of us and help us to see who needs to know that You love them. Amen.
https://youtu.be/YrRbPU8YRxs
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Trials can mold and teach us,
our weakness brings His strength,
and bring His love to life in us.
Photo 1: by Jillian Werner on Unsplash
Photo 2: by Gabriel Jimenez on Unsplash
Today I am joining …
Oh, how sad, I had not realized some looked at catching COVID as a stigma. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. May we have mercy and compassion and, as you said, trust God’s good plans even when we don’t like them at the time. Like you, I take so much encouragement from knowing that when I feel my weakest, I can depend on Him all the more!
Joanne, you’ve packed this post with encouraging truth. I needed to remember that God does allow hardships in this life, and that He does use them to polish us for His glory. And, I also appreciate what you said about not bowing to the stigma associated with getting COVID. I know a number of people who were careful but still got it. It’s important to remember to have hearts of compassion rather than hearts of judgment.
Jeanne, your last line says it well – “It’s important to remember to have hearts of compassion rather than hearts of judgment.” I appreciate those words as it is something I have been dwelling on during these days we are living.