2 Coríntios 12
Kent Hughes · Citado em PreceptAustin
2 Coríntios 12:9
Hughes - Thus the Lord's answers to prayer are never negative, except in a superficial and proximate sense; for essentially and in the ultimate issue they are fully positive, and directed to the eternal blessing of His people...Desperately he (Paul) prayed that he might be delivered from the thorn in his flesh. He was not delivered from that situation; he was made able to accept it; and in that very situation he discovered the strength that was made perfect in his weakness and the grace which was sufficient for all things--and in that strength and grace the situation was not only accepted, but also transformed into glory (2Cor 12:1-10). (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians) William
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Hughes adds that "Weakness is the secret strength of God's most effective servants and the indispensable element of potent preaching. If you are feeling weak and fearful, praise God! Now is the time to speak and not be silent, relying on him to make his power perfect in your weakness (2Co 12:9,10). Then whatever you do, whatever is accomplished for Christ, all the glory will go to God (cp Ps 115:1). (Hughes, R. K. Acts : The Church Afire. Preaching the Word. Page 242. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) Listen to (and watch) Steven Curtis Chapman's... His Strength Is Perfect I can do all things Through Christ who gives me strength, But sometimes I wonder what He can do through me; No great success to show, No glory on my own, Yet in my weakness He is there to let me know . . . CHORUS His strength is perfect when our strength is gone; He'll carry us when we can't carry on. Raised in His power, the weak become strong; His strength is perfect, His strength is perfect. We can only know The power that He holds When we truly see how deep our weakness goes; His strength in us begins Where ours comes to an end. He hears our humble cry and proves again . . . The verb teleo is in the present tense which speaks of continual activity. The passive voice adds the thought that the power is the result of a source (the Lord Jesus of course) external to the subject (Paul) who receives the power. Jesus is saying to Paul "My power is continually being brought to completion." Or as A T Robertson paraphrases it "Power is continually increased as the weakness grows." One sees this same dynamic in Paul's letter to the Philippians written some 5 years after the second epistle to the Corinthians, which would mean that Paul had experienced the thorn in his side for some 19 years (14 years prior to writing 2Corinthians + 5 years at time of Philippians). This time frame helps one understand Paul's similar affirmation of strength perfected in weakness in Philippians 4 where he says... Not that I speak from want; for I have learned (How? For one thing he had been in the classroom of thorny affliction for 19 years! Including the long list of external and internal difficulties in 2Co 11:23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33) to be content (present tense = continually; autarkes = self sufficient because he was Savior dependent!) in whatever circumstances I am (including thorny circumstances). I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (endunamoo [word study] - present tense = continually). (Php 4:11, 12-note, Php 4:13-note) And so in Php 4:13 Paul affirms that Christ continually strengthened him to do all things, which parallels his testimony here in 2Cor 12:9 that Christ's power (His sufficient grace) continually increased as his weakness grew. As Robertson affirms "human weakness opens the way for more of Christ's power and grace." THOUGHT - What weakness (or weaknesses plural) is the Master Teacher using in your life right now to help you learn the divine secret of His sufficient supply for a supernatural life in the Spirit of His Son?
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Hughes points out that “The concept, so pernicious in the Church at a later date, of courting martyrdom, of practising asceticism, and even of embracing dirt, disease, and destitution as means to the acquisition of favour before God, is diametrically opposed to the Apostle’s mind and to the whole tenor of the gospel in the New Testament, for it is a concept governing a way of life for one’s own sake, with a view to making oneself righteous and acceptable before God—a concept of works, not faith.” Earlier in this same epistle Paul had written that we... have this treasure (the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ 2Co 4:6b) in earthen vessels ("clay pots" = cheap, breakable, replaceable), that the surpassing greatness of the power (dunamis) may be of God and not from ourselves, 8 (Paul gives four instances contrasting the sustaining power of God with the impotence in men without Christ.) we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body (Paul actually bore physical evidence of his suffering for Jesus and the Gospel) the dying of Jesus (the attacks were not against Paul per se but against Jesus), (and here is the grand purpose of sufferings for Christ's sake) that the life of Jesus also may be manifested (phaneroo - see word study) in our body (earthen vessels) (cp Ro 8:17-note). (2Co 4:7, 8, 9, 10) Comment: In other words, the afflictions, perplexing circumstances (and people), persecutions, were allowed by God so that others might see in clay pots the transforming power of the gospel which is not just a "ticket" to heaven or a pass to keep one out of hell, but is a supernatural life, put on display for all to see. Paul, and by way of application, all believers are called to be light-bearers, showing forth the treasure within us. Hughes writes that "It is precisely the Christian's utter frailty which lays him open to the experience of the all-sufficiency of God's grace, so that he is able even to rejoice because of his weakness (2Co 12:9, 10.)—something that astonishes and baffles the world, which thinks only in terms of human ability." (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Eerdman's) Paul again alludes to the paradoxical principle of the "power of weakness" explaining to the saints at Corinth... For we rejoice when we ourselves are weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, that you be made complete. Hodge commenting on most gladly writes that Paul is saying... most sweetly, with an acquiescence delightful to himself. His sufferings thus became the source of the purest and highest pleasure. I will rather boast about my weaknesses does not mean "I glory in the midst of infirmities", but on account of them. This rejoicing on account of his sufferings or those things which implied his weakness and dependence, was not a fanatical feeling, (but) it had a rational and sufficient basis, viz., that the power of Christ may rest upon me; i.e., dwell in me as in a tent, as the Shekinah dwelt in olden days on the tabernacle. To be made thus the dwelling place of the power of Christ, where He reveals His glory, was a rational ground of rejoicing in those infirmities which were the his present condition and the occasion for the manifestation of Christ's power. Most Christians are satisfied in trying to be resigned under suffering. They think it a great thing if they can bring themselves to submit to be the dwelling-place of Christ's power. To rejoice in their afflictions because thereby Christ is glorified, is more than they aspire to. Paul's experience was far above that standard. The power of Christ is not only thus manifested in the weakness of His people, but in the means that He employs to achieve his purposes. Believers are in all cases utterly inadequate in themselves and the means disproportionate to the results to be obtained. This treasure is in clay jars so that the excellency of the power may be God's. By the foolishness of preaching he saves those who believe. By twelve illiterate men the church was established and extended over the civilized world. By a few missionaries heathen lands are converted into Christian countries. So in all cases the power of Christ is perfected in weakness. (Hodges entire 2 Corinthians Commentary on one Pdf.)
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Hughes reminds us that "The spiritual math is never, "my weakness plus his strength equals my power." Rather, it is, "my weakness plus his strength equals his power." (Preaching the Word) Through Christ we have the resource of God's own supernatural power, the very same power (dunamis) He used to raise Christ from the dead (cp Ep 1:19-note, Eph 1:20-note). It is of utmost importance to understand that God does not provide His power for us to misappropriate for our own purposes. He provides His power to accomplish His purposes through us. When our trust is only in Him, and our desire is only to serve Him, He is both willing and "able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power (dunamis) that works within us" (Ep 3:20-note). Although God promises us and provides us with His dunamis power, we must learn wait upon His timing (Acts 1:8) and (as in the present passage) to accept and acknowledge that our weaknesses facilitate God's granting of this power. Note that Jesus Himself had in one sense the same power available to believers today (see Lk 4:1,14,18 ...God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power)
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Hughes says "Christ pitches his tent with the weak and the unknown, the suffering shut-in, the anonymous pastor and missionary, the godly, quiet servants in the home and the marketplace." (Ibid) Dwell (1981) (episkenoo from epi = upon + skenoo = pitch a tent, dwell, spread tabernacle - 5x - Jn 1:14, Re 7:15-note, Re 12:12-note, Re 13:6-note, Re 21:3-note, skenos = tent - 2Co 5:1, 4+ skene = tent, 20x, eg, Mt 17:4, He 8:2-note, He 9:11-note, Re 21:3-note) literally means to fix a tent upon or to reside in a tent. The idea is to abide upon, rest upon, tabernacle upon. It means to use a place for lodging. Polybius uses it to describe troop quartered in houses. Episkenoo - This verb is used only here in the Bible, but the root verb skenoo is used in John 1:14 of Jesus "tabernacling" among men as the God-Man (All 8 uses of skenoo in the Bible = Ge 13:12; Jdg 5:17; 8:11; Jn 1:14; Rev 7:15; 12:12; 13:6; 21:3). Now that He has died, been resurrected and ascended, He is seated at the right hand of His Father on high (Heb 1:3, 12:2) and has given (given by both the Father and the Son - Jn 14:16, 26, 15:26) us the precious gift of His Spirit (the Spirit of Christ - Ro 8:9, the Spirit of Jesus - Acts 16:7, Php 1:16) to "tabernacle" on and in us forever (Jn 14:16b, Ro 8:9, 11, 1Cor 3:16, 6:19, 2Cor 6:16, 2Ti 1:14, James 4:5, of the Body - Eph 2:22)! His gift of the Spirit of Grace (Heb 10:29) is the Agent that transmits as it were His transforming supernatural power in and through us (this is true "channeling" not the counterfeit channeling espoused by the New Age movement!). Liddell-Scott - "to be quartered in a place: metaphorically, to dwell upon". BDAG - "'pitch tents', s. skene - to use a place for lodging, take up quarters, take up one's abode with epi (upon), and acc. of the place where one takes up quarters (Polybius 4, 18, 8 - of troops quartered in houses)"
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Hughes addresses the significance of suffering for Christ's sake… Not that in itself the endurance of hardships and indignities is of value. As we have previously indicated, the concept, so pernicious in the Church at a later date, of courting martyrdom, of practicing asceticism, and even of embracing dirt, disease, and destitution as means to the acquisition of favour before God, is diametrically opposed to the Apostle's mind and to the whole tenor of the gospel in the New Testament, for it is a concept governing a way of life for one's own sake, with a view to making oneself righteous and acceptable before God—a concept of works, not faith. The weaknesses and sufferings in which Paul takes pleasure are, on the contrary, those endured for Christ's sake by one who has already been fully and freely justified by the grace of God. Christ Himself pronounced the blessedness of those who endure reproaches, persecutions, and injustices for His sake (Mt. 5:11, 19:29, etc.). To welcome sufferings for any other reason is to miss that blessedness of which our Lord speaks. (Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians) William MacDonald… Naturally speaking, it is quite impossible for us to take pleasure in the type of experiences listed here. But the key to the understanding of the verse is found in the expression, for Christ’s sake. We should be willing to endure in His cause, and in the furtherance of His gospel, things which we would not ordinarily endure for ourselves or for the sake of some loved one. It is when we are conscious of our own weakness and nothingness that we most depend on the power of God. And it is when we are thus cast on Him in complete dependence that His power is manifested to us, and we are truly strong. William Wilberforce, who led the fight to abolish slavery in the British Empire, was physically weak and frail, but he had deep faith in God. Boswell said of him, “I saw what seemed to me a shrimp become a whale.” In this verse Paul is obeying the word of the Lord in Matthew 5:11, 12. He is rejoicing when men reviled and persecuted him. Bruce Barton… THE TAPESTRY OF LIFE - What God allowed Paul to experience was for “Christ’s good” (12:10). This means that the kingdom over which Christ rules was served by the circumstances the apostle encountered. Even though daily hardships and failure are not easily graphed on a chart of personal achievement, they are by no means wasted. Consider the underside of a handmade tapestry. The elaborate coordinated threads on the exterior side of the fabric, woven with precision and creativity, produce a work of art intended by the weaver. The side that will not be seen, however, is a tangled mess of thread, yarn, and knots. How similar to life! Christ uses what appears to be random circumstances with no meaning—simply knots and tangles—and makes something beautiful out of them. We must not draw undue attention to ourselves, even in our suffering. He can produce spiritual renewal out of great difficulty and conflict. (2 Corinthians. Life application Bible commentary. Page 455. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House) As Robertson rightly says… The enemies of Paul will have a hard time now in making Paul unhappy by persecutions even unto death (Php 1:20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26). He is not courting martyrdom, but he does not fear it or anything that is “for Christ’s sake” Matthew Henry… Here is the use which the apostle makes of this dispensation: He gloried in his infirmities (v. 9), and took pleasure in them, v. 10. He does not mean his sinful infirmities 643(those we have reason to be ashamed of and grieved at), but he means his afflictions, his reproaches, necessities, persecutions, and distresses for Christ's sake, v. 10. And the reason of his glory and joy on account of these things was this-they were fair opportunities for Christ to manifest the power and sufficiency of his grace resting upon him, by which he had so much experience of the strength of divine grace that he could say, When I am weak, then am I strong. This is a Christian paradox: when we are weak in ourselves, then we are strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; when we see ourselves weak in ourselves, then we go out of ourselves to Christ, and are qualified to receive strength from him, and experience most of the supplies of divine strength and grace. Marvin Vincent (he Covenant of Peace, p. 96)… Strength in Weakness - God's answer to Paul's prayer lays down a general law. God does not merely promise to perfect Paul's strength in that particular weakness: He states the general truth, a truth not peculiar to the spiritual life, though appearing there in its noblest aspect, that strength is perfected in weakness. I. Strength perfected in weakness. We know that the converse is true: that weakness is perfected in strength; for both our reading and our experience show us that the greatest manifestations of weakness are constantly seen in those whom the world deems the strongest. On the other hand, illustrations are equally abundant of strength perfected in weakness. They are all about us in our ordinary life. The consciousness of infirmity often makes its subject so cautious, and puts him under such careful discipline, that he accomplishes more than another who is free from infirmity. II. Look at the truth on its religious side. Then it comes into even stronger relief, because in the Christian economy weakness is assumed to be an universal condition, and dependence98 is therefore the universal law of the Christian life. There it is invariably true that real strength comes only out of that weakness which, distrustful of itself, gives itself up to God. There it is invariably true that God's strength shines through human infirmity, and often selects for its best and richest expressions the poorest, weakest, most burdened, of mankind. III. In the text there is no encouragement to cherish weakness. Weakness is not commended as a good thing in itself. The object of Christian training is to make men strong; and the Psalmist tells us that God's children go from strength to strength. But weakness is a universal fact in human nature. Our Lord covers all humanity with the statement that the flesh is weak, and the text does tell us to recognise the fact and to provide against it by taking Another's strength. The thing which it does commend is the permission of conscious weakness to have Another's strength push up through itself and pervade and transform it, a Holy strength whose ground Is in the heavenly land. John MacArthur… Paul's weakness was not self-induced or artificial; it was not a superficial psychological self-esteem game he played with himself. It was real and God-given. He did not love the pain caused by the false apostles, knowing it was satanic in origin. Yet he embraced it as the means by which God released His power through him… Having a proper perspective on trouble, trials, and suffering is the cornerstone of Christian living. Focusing all one's efforts on removing difficulties is not the answer. Believers need to embrace the trials God allows them to undergo, knowing that those trials reveal their character, humble them, draw them closer to God, and allow Him to display His grace and power in their lives (cp Jas 1:2-note, Jas 1:3, 4-note). (2 Corinthians Commentary) F. W. Robertson… The sanctifying power of sorrow: -- "For Christ's sake," that is the main point: the apostle took pleasure in pain, not as pain, but for Christ's sake. In itself sorrow is not sanctifying. It is like fire, whose effect depends upon the substance with which it comes in contact. Fire melts wax, inflames straw, and hardens clay. So it is only in afflictions borne for Christ's sake, that is, in Christ's name, and with Christ's spirit, that we can rejoice. Forasmuch as Christ hath suffered in the flesh, arm yourself likewise with the same mind. The Cross alone extracts life out of pain; without this it is death-giving. Just what I need He gives, Close to my side He lives; Honor and glory be to His name, Just what I need He gives. FOR WHEN I AM WEAK, THEN I AM STRONG : hotan gar astheno (1SPAS) tote dunatos eimi. (1SPAI) : 2 Corinthians 12 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries In the "hall of faith" chapter, Hebrews 11, we see that the principle of divine strength (power) in human weakness which Paul expresses here in the NT has always been God's way of dealing with men who "from weakness were made strong" (Hebrews 11:34-note) ONGOING WEAKNESS AND ONGOING POWER Hughes adds that… the persistent motif of authentic ministry is power in weakness… But what we most need to see is that power in weakness is shorthand for the cross of Christ (cp Mk 8:34). In God’s plan of redemption, there had to be weakness (crucifixion) before there was power (resurrection). And this power-in-weakness connection is what Paul reflected on when he contemplated Christ’s praying three times amidst His weakness and powerlessness in Gethsemane before His death on the cross (Mt 26:39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, Mk 14:35, 36, 39, 41, Lk 22:41, 42, 43, 44), which was followed by the power of the resurrection! Paul came to understand and embrace the fact that his thorn in the flesh was essential to his ongoing weakness and the experience of Christ’s ongoing power. (Hughes, R. K. 2Corinthians: Power in Weakness. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) Barnett notes that Power in weakness,’ therefore, runs as a thread throughout the letter (read 2Co 1:8, 9, 2:14, 4:7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 6:4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10), reaching its most powerful expression here". For when - "For whenever" speaks of an indefinite time. At whatever time. The idea is at any or every time that he is weak. This is the mindset of a man who has learned the secret of the school of suffering and thus who is ever ready to surrender his will to the will of his Lord and Master. This powerful paradox teaches that Paul has real, spiritual strength just when he acknowledges his weakness and dependence on Christ. The great hindrance for effective ministry is that too many of us perceive ourselves as strong in our own abilities or resources, and thus are tempted to try to accomplish God's supernatural work in our own natural strength, which tends to bolster our ego and inflate our pride. It is only as we are willing to acknowledge our weaknesses (and that may include a propensity to self-exaltation or pride) that the Spirit can fill us with his power for effective God glorifying ministry. Weak (770) (asthene from asthenes = without strength, powerless from a = without + sthenos = strength, bodily vigor) means to be feeble (in any sense), to be diseased, impotent, sick, to lack strength, to be infirm, to be weak. I am (1510) (eimi) is in the present tense which emphasizes that Paul is and remains strong in the Lord. What a contrast Paul is to Samson in the Old Testament. The Spirit of God came upon Samson and he became strong. People marveled at his physical strength, but there came a day when he was very weak. The strong are made weak, and the weak are made strong. God can use the weak man. As
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Hughes explains that we are well content and… We exult in suffering because it is the path to spiritual maturity and glory. The great saints of God all agree. Ask Abraham and he will direct your attention to the sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Ask Jacob and he will point you to his stone pillow. Ask Joseph and he will tell you about the dungeon. Ask Moses and he will remind you of his trials with Pharaoh. David will tell you his songs came in the night. Peter will speak of his denial, John of Patmos, and Jesus of the cross. Blessings are poured out in bitter cups. (Hughes, R. K. Romans: Righteousness from heaven. Preaching the Word. Crossway Books) We need to embrace this paradox, for the men and women God has used have always lived with the reality that they are clay (cp 2Co 4:7NIV). When they saw Jesus Christ, they became unconscious of all they used to call their wisdom and strength (cp Jn 3:30). Rather than focusing on their weaknesses, they made it their business to rely on Him (cp Php 4:11, 12-note, Php 4:13-note). From this flowed the surpassing greatness of His power (cp Ep 1:19-note). (Luke: Preaching the Word) (Scripture annotations added) Arnot gives these illustrations from nature - Some living creatures maintain their hold by foot or body on flat surfaces by a method that seems like magic, and with a tenacity that amazes the observer. A fly marching at ease with feet uppermost on a plastered ceiling, and a mollusk sticking to the smooth water-worn surface of a basaltic rock, while the long swell of the Atlantic at every pulse sends a huge white billow roaring and hissing and cracking and crunching over it, are objects of wonder to the onlooker. That apparently supernatural solidity is the most natural thing in the world. It is emptiness that imparts so much strength to these feeble creatures. A vacuum, on the one side within a web-foot, and on the other within the shell, is the secret of their power. By dint of that emptiness in itself the creature quietly and easily clings to the wall or the rock, so making all the strength of the wall or rock its own. By its emptiness it is held fast; the moment it becomes full it drops off. Ah! it is the self-emptiness of a humble, trustful soul that makes the Redeemer's strength his own, and so keeps him safe in an evil world. THE "FOOLISHNESS OF GOD"…1 Co 1:25 THE SPIRITUAL PARADOX OF STRENGTH OUT OF WEAKNESS A paradox is defined as a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement that is actually true. In the Bible spiritual paradoxes abound and confound the secular unsaved mind… in fact the wise of this world consider believers are considered to be fools for Christ's sake. The wise of this world scoff and laugh at God's answers to questions like… Do you want to be strong? You must boast about your weaknesses! "Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me… for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Co 12:9, 10) Do you want to be rich? You must become poor in spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 5:3-note) Do you want to be first? You must be willing to be last. And sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, "If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all." (Mk 9:35, cp Mt 19:30, 20:8, 16, Mk 10:31, Lk 13:30) Do you want to be exalted? You must be willing to be brought low! Humble (aorist imperative) yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time (1Pe 5:6-note). (cp Jas 4:6- note, Jas 4:10- note) (cp Mt. 23:12) Do you want to rule? You must be willing to serve. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. (Mk 10:45, cp Mk 9:35) Do you want to life? You must die. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. (Gal 2:20; cp 2Co 4: 10, 11) Do you want to be fruitful? You must die. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (Jn 12:24). Some other spiritual paradoxes: We see unseen things (2 Co 4:18, Heb 11:27) We conquer by yielding (Ro 6:16, 17, 18) We find rest under a yoke (Mt. 11:28, 29, 30) We reign by serving (Mk 10:42, 43, 44) We are made great by becoming little (Lk 9:48) We become wise by being fools for Christ's sake (1Co 1:20, 21) We find victory by glorying in our infirmities (2 Co 12:5) As Hughes says Unless there is death, the vast possibilities inside us will not be released. We will shrivel and remain alone. We must die. (Ed: compare the similar spiritual principle in Mk 8:34, 35, 36, 37, Mt 10:38, 39, Lk 9:23, 24, 25) Those who are beginning the Christian life or are awakening to their spiritual potential must learn that we live by dying. This has been true in my own life. (Hughes, R. K. 1999. John : That You May Believe. Preaching the Word. Page 301. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) JUXTAPOSITION OF WEAKNESS <> POWER IN CORINTHIANS PASSAGE WEAKNESS POWER 1 Cor 1:25 Weakness of God Stronger than men 1 Cor 1:27 God chose weak things To shame the strong things 1 Cor 2:3, 5 Was with you in weakness Faith rests on power of God 1 Cor 15:43 Body sown in weakness Body raised in power 2 Co 12:9 My weaknesses Power of Christ 2 Co 13:3 Christ not weak toward you Mighty in you 2 Co 13:4 Christ crucified because of weakness He lives because of the power of God 2 Co 13:4 We are weak in Christ We live with Him because of the power of God 2 Co 13:9 Rejoice when we are weak Rejoice when you are strong
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Hughes adds that "Henrietta Mears went on, still plagued by her increasing disability, to set the standard for Sunday schools in America. She founded Gospel Light and wrote the million-plus best-seller What the Bible Is All About. She was influential in shaping the ministries of Billy Graham in his beginning stages, 216Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, and Richard Halverson, Chaplain of the United States Senate, to name only a few!" (Hughes, R. K. 2 Corinthians : Power in Weakness. Preaching the Word. Page 215. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books) THE STRONG WEAK PEOPLE: If there is anything that we love to hate more than the arrogance of others, it would have to be an awareness of our own weakness. We detest it so much that we invent ways to cover our personal inadequacy. Even the apostle Paul needed to be reminded of his own frailty. He was jabbed time and again by a "thorn in the flesh" (2Co 12:7). He didn't name this thorn, but J. Oswald Sanders reminds us that whatever it was, "it hurt, humiliated, and restricted Paul." Three times he begged the Lord to take it away, but his request was not granted. Instead, he used his thorn to tap into God's all-sufficient grace. The Lord promised, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2Co 12:9). Courageously, Paul began to "own" his weakness and put the Lord's grace to the test, a pathway that Sanders calls "a gradual educative process" in the apostle's life. Sanders notes that eventually Paul no longer regarded his thorn as a "limiting handicap" but as a "heavenly advantage." And his advantage was this: When he was weak in himself, he was strong in the Lord. May the Word of God dwell richly In my heart from hour to hour, So that all may see I triumph Only through His power. -- Wilkinson To know God's strength, we must know our weakness. THE ADVANTAGE OF WEAKNESS: It is always a joy to talk with my old college friend Tom and get caught up on what the Lord has been teaching us since we last met. One time Tom began with a sheepish grin, "You know, I can't believe how many years it's taken me to learn my latest lesson--and I'm a Bible teacher!" He went on to list some of the trials and testings he and his family had been facing and how unworthy he felt teaching an adult Sunday school class. "Week after week I felt I was a total failure," he confided, "and kept wondering if this might be my last Sunday before announcing my resignation." Then one Sunday Tom noticed a young woman who stayed behind to speak to him. She was a friend of his family, so she knew what they had been going through. "Tom," she said, "I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but you're a much better teacher when you're going through tough times!" Another sheepish grin crept across Tom's face as he told me, "Only then did I feel I grasped the Lord's response to Paul's thorn in the flesh: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'" Inadequate but mighty-- How strange, yet wholly true; Weak ones endued with power The Lord's great work shall do. --HGB We may face situations beyond our reserves, but never beyond God's resources WEAKNESSES AND STRENGTHS: "Out of weakness (they) were made strong." -- Hebrews 11:34 I'm always amused when I watch the loons lift into flight off Piatt Lake in Michigan's upper peninsula. They half-run, half-flap across the water for hundreds of feet before getting enough speed to lift into the air. I wondered why until I learned that unlike most birds, loons have solid bones. Their added weight makes it difficult for them to get airborne. I also learned that loons are clumsy on land because their legs are set farther back on their bodies than other birds. Walking is so difficult that many loons simply scoot across land to their nesting places. But these disadvantages -- heavy bones, legs set far back -- are also tremendous advantages. Because of their weight and leg placement, loons can dive deeper, farther, and faster. This is essential for catching fish and escaping predators. What we see as disadvantages in our lives can be turned into advantages, and apparent weaknesses can be transformed into strengths. That was true of the apostle Paul, whose "thorn in the flesh" became an opportunity for God's strength to be seen in his weakness (2Co 12:7, 8, 9). Inadequate but mighty -- How strange, yet wholly true! Weak persons filled with power The father's work shall do. - Henry G. Bosch Our limited potential accents God's limitless power. From an unknown source - Why? Why me? Why my family? What is the meaning of this suffering? These are familiar questions which are asked by Christians and non-Christians alike. No one is immune to suffering and adversity. “Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7KJV). There are the pressures of want, need, sorrow, persecution, unpopularity, and loneliness. Some suffer for what they have done; others suffer because of what people do to them. Many suffer because they are victims of circumstances which they cannot control. Pain is distressing. There can be nights of agony when God seems so unfair and it seems that there is no possible help or answer. Temporary relief may seem adequate, but the real solution to suffering is not to isolate it in an attempt to do away with it, nor even to grit our teeth and endure it. The solution, rather, is to condition our attitudes so that we learn to triumph in and through suffering. When the Apostle Paul sought relief from his “thorn in the flesh,” God did not take it away, but reassured him with: “My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2Co12:9KJV). In another encouragement to the Corinthians, he wrote, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2Cor 9:8KJV). Except for physical pain, handling suffering seems to be a question of attitude: “What am I going to do in the face of suffering in order to learn from it and use it for my advantage as far as God’s eternal purposes are concerned?” Billy Graham comments: “Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are exempt from the tribulations and natural disasters that come upon the world. Scripture does teach that the Christian can face tribulation, crisis, calamity, and personal suffering with a supernatural power that is not available to the person outside of Christ.” Some of the most pathetic people in the world are those who, in the midst of adversity, indulge themselves by wallowing in self-pity and bitterness, all the while taking a sort of delight in blaming God for their problems. Job’s attitude is an inspiration: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15). The sufferer will be blessed if, in the midst of great agony and despair, he can look into the face of his Heavenly Father and, because of His eternal love and presence, be grateful. Our response to suffering should lead us to look beyond it in the attempt to see God’s higher purposes and what He wants to teach us. C H