Are you good enough to go?

Grand Sweep Daily Reading: II Corinthians 12, 13; Proverbs 9

II Corinthians 12:7-10 (NIV)

7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassing great revelations, there was given me 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.

Good morning!

Have you ever struggled with a perceived weakness that has somehow held you back from reaching your full potential? We all have some thorn we carry around in our flesh. I’ve never met a person who didn’t experience hurt, frustration and loss, whether it is evidenced through a physical infirmity, or an emotional hurt that has never quite healed completely. Those thorns can keep us from reaching our full potential, yet Paul says that the thorns we carry can actually propel us to our fullest measure, when we allow Christ to use them for our good. Have you ever experienced a burden that became a rich blessing in your life?

I always wanted to go to college, yet, something inside held me back. I lacked self-confidence and determination to believe that I might actually succeed. It was ironic that I could have felt that way, especially since I had graduated in the top 10% of my high school class. I was a member of the National Honor Society. My ACT and SAT scores were not exceptional, but I certainly had the potential to succeed. I could have accepted a music scholarship, but refused to even entertain that possibility. At eighteen years of age, I couldn’t imagine myself graduating from a four-year institution. Even if my parents had insisted I go on to college, I’m not certain they could have changed my mind. Somewhere inside my heart, there was this inner voice continuing to whisper the words, “You are not good enough to do this. If you try, you will fail.”

What makes a person “good enough?” Have you ever avoided a call in your life because you didn’t feel good enough? Unlike me, Paul came from an affluent Jewish family. He was well educated and become a respected leader in his Jewish community. People looked to Paul for visionary leadership and wisdom. He was self-assured in the work he pursued each day. When Jesus Christ diverted others’ hearts from Jewish laws and traditions, Paul became fighting mad. So much so, he sought out new Christian believers and killed them. Deep down inside, Paul believed he was fulfilling his vocation by God. Have the convictions in your heart kept you from fully understanding God’s greater call on your life?

Only Jesus Christ Himself could change the heart and mind of a person like Paul. It was when Paul met the Lord on the road to Damascus that suddenly, and without warning, his life’s passion and direction was forever changed. Of all people, Paul felt least likely to be able to carry the Gospel into the world with any real authority. Paul knew that if God were sending him out to preach the Gospel message to those he had been killing with his very own hands, it would take something greater than what he could offer on his own to reach them. Paul knew that the thorn he bore might keep him from fulfilling God’s greater call on his life. We can learn a lot from Paul in his words of encouragement to the church at Corinth when he said: “Three times I pleaded for the Lord to take it away from me. But God said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’”

I don’t pretend to understand how God’s perfect timing works. What I do know is that when God lays His hand upon your heart and claims you for His very own, He will give you whatever you need to equip you in your vocation. It is a good thing to experience the thorns that pin us down, because, without them, we would not need to fully rely on God for our help. My friends, this is the one thing He wants us to do. Are you relying on Him completely for everything in your life? Thank Him today for the thorns that hold you back. Ask Him for His strength, power, vision, and direction. Ask God to take that thorn and use it to win souls for the kingdom. Jesus said, “Fear not, for I am with you always.” Do you believe Him?

I’ve returned to college, finishing the work God called me to many years ago. The thorn in my flesh is still there. I thank the Lord daily, for allowing me the experience of having to fully lean upon His strength smack dab in the middle of my weaknesses. When I graduate from college, it will be an awesome act of God, and nothing short of an amazing miracle in motion. When I cross over the Jordan and graduate to eternal life just as He has promised, that will be also be an amazing, awesome act of God. I will never be good enough to achieve anything of any real worth on my own. For it is only in my weakness, that Jesus Christ makes me strong.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

Pray for: a painful thorn in the flesh to get your undivided attention. God has the power to move in your life, especially in the weaknesses and struggles you face. Are you willing to let go and let God be Lord of all? You cannot do this thing on your own. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart today, and watch how He is more than able to give you His strength and power, even in the weaknesses of your life.

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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding

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