Friday, July 22, 2005
1 Corinthians 12:7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations, a thorn was given to me and placed in my body. It was Satan's messenger to keep on tormenting me so that I would not become conceited.
IT'S GOOD TO BE WEAK
Nobody seems to like a weakling. On television, you will find a "World's Strongest Man" competition, but you won't find a show where the top prize goes to the weakest. In our culture, the strongest are praised and the others -- well, they just tend to get overlooked.
The Apostle Paul observes, however, that sometimes it's good to be weak. Sometimes it's good to realize that you are not the best, not the strongest, and there are certain things you simply cannot do on your own. Paul suffered with a "thorn in the flesh." It was some sort of physical ailment that he wished to be rid of, but he also understood that it had some value. It taught him that even for all the success he enjoyed in his ministry; for all the wonderful revelations God had shown him; for all the wisdom of the Holy Spirit he had been given -- he was still a weak, sinful human being who needed to rely on the Lord every single day of his life. His "thorn" caused him to remember that his joy was not in his own strength, but in the strength His Savior displayed when He gave His life on the cross.
For us too it can be good to see and face our human weaknesses. When we understand that we are not so strong of ourselves, then we can better appreciate the ways in which our God mightily holds us up.
