Friday, July 13, 2012
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.
OUR WEAKNESSES CAN BE BENEFICIAL
The Apostle Paul could rightly be called the greatest missionary of all time. God accomplished so very much through this tireless man. He is the only apostle called directly by Jesus after Jesus' Ascension. He was also given visions. In fact, in 2 Corinthians we find out that the Lord gave him a glimpse of heaven itself. I don't know any other person in the history of the earth that could make that same claim. The Lord gave Paul a tremendous amount of gifts, but let us read of the "equalizer" found in 2 Corinthians 12: "And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure."
To keep Paul from getting a big head, the Lord allowed a messenger of Satan to bother Paul with what he terms a "thorn in the flesh." What this ailment was we are not sure. Whatever the case, this ailment kept Paul from self-reliance.
Acknowledging our weaknesses and infirmities forces us to look for help. Paul asked three times for this pesky problem, this thorn in the flesh to be removed, and God refused. It was better for Paul to be humbled and to keep turning to God than for him to be without the problem and succumb to pride. Knowing that you have weaknesses is the first step.
Being weak isn't all bad. In fact, God's master plan involves our weaknesses. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. He used such prophets as Moses who had a number of shortcomings, Amos, who didn't have much education, and of course the apostles of Jesus were certainly not the mighty of the world. God knows that our human nature is inclined to take credit if at all possible -- even when it is not deserved in the least. This plan has even carried over into the proclamation of His word where God uses human beings, not angels, to proclaim His holy word. God wants the credit that He deserves. His glory belongs to Him and no one else.
Anything that leads us to rely on God and His grace rather than on ourselves will help us both in the present and the future.
