WATCHWORD:
7 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Meditation:
My Grace is Sufficient
That phrase, ‘My grace is sufficient’, kept repeating itself in my mind, all morning. I had done my morning readings, said my morning prayers, and was ready to move on to the day, and there it was again, ‘My grace is sufficient’. Then, as was my practice, I turned on my favorite TV pastors: Jackson, Furtick, Meyer, each had a good message, but, there it was, again, that phrase, ‘My grace is sufficient’, in my mind, repeating itself.
What are you saying to me, Lord? My grace is sufficient. Thick-minded Stan, finally, answered, Yes, Lord, I know Your grace is all I need. What do I need Your grace for, Lord? What is coming down the road of my life, for which I will need Your grace? Everything! Our lives have sharp edges and smooth, pleasant vistas. There is not a moment of joy or pain that doesn’t open us to the need for God’s graces.
Have you been there? Deep within, the Voice speaks to you, maybe in preparation for something you don’t know about, and there is a part of you that doesn’t want to know? Knowing our future can be a curse. But, being assured of God’s constant presence is the blessing. It’s called faith.
I asked Paul, looking at what he said in verse 7. The thorn in his side was a messenger from Satan. Oh, oh. Look out! Here comes disappointment, distraction, resignation, weakness, illness, depression, lust, envy, loss, etc. Yes, all those things and more that pull us down and away from Christ, and we find ourselves trying to overcome by our own strength, and it is not sufficient, so we swim in the muck and the mire, a losing battle…until…
Yes, until we come back to ‘My grace is sufficient’ and realize that all those negative messages from Satan are grounds to demonstrate that the power of Christ is sufficient to overcome it all, every little scrap of filth in our lives. And we can say with Paul: “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Amen.
On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
Watchword Alert – Coming This Saturday:
A little attitude adjustment, just for you.
Prayer of Thanks for Sufficient Grace:
God, my Father, as Jesus stated to Paul in his time of need, so do I remind myself: Your grace is sufficient for me. Whether in wealth or poverty, hunger or feasting, I will, like the apostle, boast in my weaknesses. For it is my weaknesses, Lord, that make Your grace manifest even more so in my life. In my life thus far, I have been upheld by this grace You supply – thank You, O my Father. Praying in the name of Jesus Christ, I praise You forever. Amen.
