A
Painful Priority
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One
of the best ways for God to show forth His power is to manifest it through
an otherwise weak or handicapped vessel. God was giving Paul, the Apostle
a general principle. According to this principle, the weaker something
is, the greater its need for strengtth. When what is weak is finally
strengthened, the presence of renewed strength is more noticeable by
comparison.
For this reason, God allows adversity to enter our experience:
not for the purpose of making us weak and incapable of going on with
our lives, but for the purpose of enabling us by His strength to do
what otherwise would be impossible.
God's Perspective
From God's perspective, it was more important for Paul
to experience supernatural power than it was for him to live a pain-free,
adversity-free life. The closer you look at Paul's life, the more difficult
that is to accept. He was stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked, beaten,
bitten by a snake and finally imprisoned-all for Christ's sake. When
all was said and done Paul's response was this:
"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."
2Corinthians 12:10.
I have seen men and women emerge from far less strenuous
circmstances than Paul's full of anger and hostility. They were mad
at God for what He did to them. But not Paul. Why? Because he recognized
that what God allowed to be done to him was simply preparation
for what He wanted to do for him. As Paul grew more and more
dependent upon the Lord for strength, it became second nature to him.
His faith in Christ grew to the point that he could say with all sincerity,
"I am well content with weakness."
The whole idea of being content with weakness contradicts
the messages society sends us. In an age of power lunches and power
ties, it is unusual for people to get very excited about living in a
state of weakness. But upon examining the life of the apostle Paul,
one hardly gets impression that he was a weak man.So how do we reconcile
Paul's claim to weakness with his amazing accomplishments? Simple, the
answer is in the phrase, "when I am weak, then I am strong."
In Search of the Weak
God wants to work through our weaknesses in the same way
He worked through the apostle Paul's. You may have been born with characteristics
you consider weaknesses. Or you may have been born into a family that
did not provide you with the things you think are necessary for success.
Perhaps a recent tragedy or illness has left you wondering about your
usefulness or self-worth.
If any of these situations sound familiar to you, rejoice!
You are just the type of person God is looking for. He wants people
through whom He can show off His mighty power, people who know their
weaknesses and are willing to allow Him to control and direct their
lives. God is looking for men and women who are willing to take on challenges
too difficult for them to handle, trusting Him to carry the load. He
wants people who understand from experience what Paul meant when he
wrote,"My (God's) grace is sufficient for you." Believers
who grow accustomed to weakness, but who draw daily upon the sufficiency
and power of Christ!
I want you to think about something at this point. Your
biggest weakness is God's greatest opportunity. Instead of complaining
and begging God to change your circumstances, why not ask Him to fill
that void with His strength? God has allowed adversity into your life
to loosen your dependence on your own strength. It is His desire that
you learn to live in dependence on Him for those things you lack. As
you grow more and more accustomed to this arrangement, you will actually
begin to sense contentment. His power will be perfected in you. And
as make yourself available, His power will be demonstrated through you
to the lives of others. And with the apostle Paul you will be able to
boast in your weakness. For when you are weak, then He is strong!
Be encouraged.
**************************Letter # 48 (16.12.2000)*******************
