"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."--2 Corinthians 12:9(KJV)
I have a fond memory of a precious "seasoned saint" in our church. As a young girl, this elderly woman fascinated me. She was very small in stature, but was big in personality and spirit. What fascinated me, was that she only had one arm. Yet, she lived as if she was not disabled--she lived independently, sang on the choir, faithfully served in various ministries, and babysat and cared for children. Her outlook on life and joy of living intrigued me. She would proudly declare, "I just love everybody!" And, it appeared that she truly did. What did she tap into that could lend to such a perspective and bold declaration? Perhaps she had identified the true meaning of biblical grace for herself.
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul gives us a glimpse into the struggle within his heart regarding the "thorn in his flesh". It's unclear what the thorn in the flesh was, but it was problematic enough for Paul to ask the Lord three times to remove it. The Lord's response, "My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
So, what is grace? What does it look like at work in our lives? Is it obtainable? How do we obtain it?
Consider the following Greek word study for further meditation, reflection, and prayer"
Grace is God's influence upon our souls that points us to Christ. His grace strengthens and keeps us. In his grace, there is unfailing strength by which we are satisfied. His strength--his power, ability rests on us even in our weakest moments because it is in those moments of frailty that we are emboldened and empowered to bear trials and troubles. And, the wonderful thing about grace is that each believer already has it!
I believe that the dear church mother from my childhood had received the grace that Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 12 as evidenced by the manner in which she lived her life. We are all the beneficiaries of the grace of God. He does not leave us to ourselves. He does not leave us weak, frail, and vulnerable; it's in those moments that we can receive the grace of God and watch him fulfill his promise--that his strength will be perfected in our weakness and that his merciful kindness will keep us.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your grace. We thank you that your grace is sufficient. We thank you that even in our weakest moments your grace is at work in our lives. You are perfecting your strength within us. We receive the truth of your word, by faith in Jesus' name. Amen.
In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul gives us a glimpse into the struggle within his heart regarding the "thorn in his flesh". It's unclear what the thorn in the flesh was, but it was problematic enough for Paul to ask the Lord three times to remove it. The Lord's response, "My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)
So, what is grace? What does it look like at work in our lives? Is it obtainable? How do we obtain it?
Consider the following Greek word study for further meditation, reflection, and prayer"
- Grace (G5485) charis: pleasure, delight, that which affords joy, of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues, recompense, reward
- Sufficient (G714) arkeo: to possess unfailing strength, to be satisfied, to be strong
- Strength (G1411) dynamis: power, ability, inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
- is made perfect (G5048) teleioo: to complete, to accomplish,
- weakness (G769) astheneia: of the body--sickness, frailty, infirmity, of the soul--to bear trials and troubles, to restrain corrupt desires, to do things great and glorious
Grace is God's influence upon our souls that points us to Christ. His grace strengthens and keeps us. In his grace, there is unfailing strength by which we are satisfied. His strength--his power, ability rests on us even in our weakest moments because it is in those moments of frailty that we are emboldened and empowered to bear trials and troubles. And, the wonderful thing about grace is that each believer already has it!
I believe that the dear church mother from my childhood had received the grace that Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 12 as evidenced by the manner in which she lived her life. We are all the beneficiaries of the grace of God. He does not leave us to ourselves. He does not leave us weak, frail, and vulnerable; it's in those moments that we can receive the grace of God and watch him fulfill his promise--that his strength will be perfected in our weakness and that his merciful kindness will keep us.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you for your grace. We thank you that your grace is sufficient. We thank you that even in our weakest moments your grace is at work in our lives. You are perfecting your strength within us. We receive the truth of your word, by faith in Jesus' name. Amen.
