9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor. 12:9-10 NKJV
This verse has been running through my mind and quite honestly running me over of late. All too often life leaves us searching for answers from within ourselves and in our own strength. I sit guilty of this very thing, trying to do things of my own will and accord. I am wishing and hoping on my strengths, skills and abilities to overcome life’s problems on a daily basis. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Paul was dealing with this same issue some two thousand years ago. The LORD spoke to him these words and he recorded them for the same purpose, to get us through times where we come up short for answers, words and works. It is when we come to the end of ourselves, and realize we can’t do it, we don’t have the right thing to say or do, it is at this time God is ready and able to use us. Instead of coming to that point of despair and giving up, He wants to use us. You see I intentionally left off the first part of this passage until now. Verse 8 says, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.” Paul begged God to remove the one thing he thought was stopping him from really being able to serve God. It was when Paul realized that he couldn’t do it on his own, but that he needed to be weak in order to rely on God. This is true in our lives today, when we are weak and rely on God, then God is made real to those around us.
I am asking fathers and families to engage in spiritual discipleship and training at home. The common responses so far: “I don’t know how to start a spiritual conversation at home”, “I just don’t have time to do those types of things in our house”, “I didn't know that’s what God wanted of me”. These are good starting points for all families in the church. If your heart is set toward God, and you’re not good with words, be confident that His grace is sufficient for you and your attempts to lead your family, remember when you are weak HE is strong. If you feel that you don’t have time to lead your family at home in spiritual conversations, remember the power of Christ rests upon you and your home, and he desires what’s best for your family, if you make time he will honor that, and speaking from personal experience and the testimony of others, if you make Him important and priority in your schedule you will find that you don’t miss out on anything else important. Lastly, this is God’s will and desire for your family that you lead them to Christ and don’t just drop them off at the door, but continue to teach, train and disciple them. If there is any doubt where God talks of spiritual training at home please visit and study these scriptures; Deut. 6:1-9; Psalm 78:1-8, Proverbs 22:6, Eph. 5:22-6:4. Col. 3.
We all fall short and that’s the point. It is when we fall short, that God steps up and uses us. We have to come to the end of ourselves and rely on Christ, our Messiah, our Savior, His grace, that is sufficient for all circumstances, to do through us what we can’t do on our own. It is when I am weak then I am strong, not on my own but when I rely on Him, His strength and His all-sufficient grace.
God Bless,
Bro. Grant
