Grace for Weakness

2 Cor. 12:9-10

 But he said to me, " But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul realized that human boasting was of no count even though he had much to boast about. So much so that when he spoke of his experience with Christ, he did not us personal pronouns. He called himself, a man in Christ. He did recount that this man [Paul] was caught up into paradise where he heard things that were unrepeatable. For a moment he says that on this man [Paul] he would boast, but then immediately he restates that he would only boast in his weaknesses. Boasting seems to be a part of man that is hard to subdue. But God took care of this boasting spirit in Paul by giving him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass him, to keep him from becoming conceited. He pleaded 3 times for this thorn to be removed, but each time God said no. But God did say, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. What a strong answer! Paul [as am I] was to boast only in his weaknesses for all else was of grace. Any insight, teaching, good works, doctrine, anything that would be noteworthy in Paul was all of grace. The only thing that Paul could claim was weakness. In fact, he was content in any and all weakness because there the grace of God reigned supreme.

Father,

Thank You for such amazing grace. Help me to claim Your strength in my weakness. Reveal to me the pride within and grant me repentance.

In Jesus name,

Amen