BOASTING IN OUR INFIRMITIES!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY OCTOBER 03, 2023.

SUBJECT : BOASTING IN OUR INFIRMITIES!

Memory verse: "Of such a one will I boast: yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities." (Second Corinthians 12 vs 5.)

READ: Second Corinthians 12 vs 8 - 10:

12:8: Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.

12:9: And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly therefore will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

12:10: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong.   

INTIMATION: 

To boast in our infirmities is to be happy, to rejoice in them, knowing that the Creator allowed it for His purpose; to show His strength, and power in such weaknesses. It is not for you and I to despair in our weaknesses or infirmities because they can never be any form of limitations to God, but rather an opportunity to demonstrate His power through His grace. 

For emphasis, the apostle Paul said in the memory verse, ‘I am going to boast only about how weak I am and how great God is to use such weakness to His glory.’ Instead of posing as self-confident and invincible, see yourself as a trophy of grace. Your weaknesses ought to be a limitation, but by His grace you overcome with it.

When the apostle Paul spoke of his infirmities, he was actually glorifying the power of God who was able to help him live with his infirmities. He learned, therefore, to trust in God’s power to deliver. He didn’t trust in his own ingenuity as the false prophets do. If we boast concerning our accomplishments, then we have the tendency to glory in our own ability to perform. 

The apostle Paul had an infirmity—“thorn in the flesh” (which I believe was an eye problem according to his statement in Galatian 4 vs 15). The infirmity was a chronic and debilitating problem, which at times kept him from working. It was a hindrance to his ministry, and he prayed for its removal, but God refused, instead He promised to demonstrate His strength in him; “for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

The apostle Paul was a very self-sufficient person, so the ‘thorn’ must have been difficult for him. Three times he prayed for healing and did not receive it. He received, however, things greater because he received greater grace from God; a stronger character, humility, and ability to empathize with others. In addition, it benefited those around him as they saw God at work in his life. 

God, according to His sovereign plan, doesn’t heal some believers of their physical ailments. We don’t know why some are spared and others aren’t. But God chooses according to His divine purposes. The apostle Paul was a living proof at the time that holy living and courageous faith do not ensure instant physical healing. When we pray fo healing, we must entrust our bodies to God’s care. We must recognize that nothing separates us from the love of God (Romans 8 vs 35 - 39) and that our spiritual condition is always more important than our physical condition. 

The fact that God’s power is displayed in our weaknesses should give us courage and hope. As we recognize our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our own energies, efforts, or talents. Our limitations help develop our worship, because in admitting them, we affirm God’s strength. God told the apostle Paul, “My grace (My favor, lovingkindness, and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness.” (Amplified Version.)

The fact that God's power is displayed in weak people should give us courage. When Satan points out your weaknesses, agree with him and fill your heart with praise for Jesus, who ‘understands every weakness of ours,’ and for the Holy Spirit, who helps our weaknesses. (Romans 8 vs 26.) As a believer, God will not leave you to your own resources to cope with problems. Instead we turn to God to seek pathways for our effectiveness, rather than rely on our own energies, efforts, or talents. Even when you don't know the right words to pray, the Holy Spirit prays with and for you, and God answers.

Sometimes, however, God turns a strength into a weakness in order to use us even more. Jacob was a manipulator who spent his life scheming and then running from the consequences. One night he wrestled with God and said, ‘I'm not letting you go until you bless me.’ God said, ‘All right,’ but then he grabbed Jacob's thigh and dislocated his hip. What is the significance of that? God touched Jacob's strength (the thigh muscle is the strongest in the body) and turned it into a weakness. From that day forward, Jacob walked with a limp so he could never run away again. It forced him to lean on God whether he liked it or not. 

Physical infirmities remind us that we live in a physical world, but are looking forward to a realm of dwelling wherein there will be no pain (Revelation 21 vs 4). If there were no pain in this world, then we would not desire a heavenly realm of dwelling that is free of pain. When we are strong in abilities or resources, we are tempted to do God’s work on our own, and that can lead to pride. When we are weak, allowing God to fill us with His power, then we are stronger than we could ever be on our own. God does not intend for us to be weak, passive, or ineffective. However, life provides enough hindrances and setbacks without us creating them. When those obstacles come, we must depend on God. 

“My grace is sufficient.” This one statement concerning the grace of God manifests God’s sufficiency to deal with all aspects of man. God is able to deliver us from this physical world. God is able to deliver us from the power of sin and death. Therefore, whether in the midst of physical suffering or mourning over our sin, we must trust that God is able to deliver us. Such trust in God’s grace will carry us through times of hardship. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You most gracious Lord for Your strength that is made perfect in my weakness. Forever my trust is in You, and I am persuaded that nothing can take away Your love for me. Give me the grace never to shift my attention from You all the days of my life, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!