Month: February 2018

2 Corinthians 12: 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.”

Apostle Paul had been writing about how he had pleaded with God to heal him, so he could better serve his Lord.  He was afflicted with poor eyesight and other bodily infirmities, all of which he found an impediment to what and how he wanted to be when proclaiming the gospel message to the Gentiles.  Paul did however acknowledge, that his infirmities, kept him humble and from being too independent for God, which He must have believed he was inclined to be.

His view of his disability and need for Gods healing all sound very justifiable from a human standpoint, yet we find God had answered “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  In effect God had said, you don’t need healing of your infirmities for life and service for Me, and the grace of God would fill his need.  I have had God answer me this way, and have not always immediately appreciated the import of what God was saying.  The love of God is profound, and to think that He was interested in me, enough to say, I will be right there, and my power will not only make up for all your lack, and carry you through; it will come in an ever-growing abundance, the more you trust in Me, and rely totally on Me in life and service.  I take heart and am encouraged, by the number of times, I have noticed that the people with some weakness or physical handicap, when they are Gods’ person, show His power the best, because they could not accomplish at the level required, without total dependence on God.  It is so easy to be self-sufficient, and unaware of how weak we really are, and not be able to represent God in all that we do, unless He is in charge, and it is the Holy Spirits who is filling us with His spiritual fruits.

Dear God, I pray that I will remember and learn from the apostle Paul, and come every day to the place, where I can say “gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that Your power may rest upon me.’  I also pray that I be brought to a place where I can be glad for my infirmities, because when I allow, they reveal Your power.

My attitude has often not been one of acceptance or to be comforted, by the message, that all I needed to be able to face and survive the situation was the, all sufficient grace of God.  So often I wanted everything to resolve, and return to the times, when no sickness or infirmity had intruded into my life!  I have allowed a scanty infilling of grace, peace and power, but now I long for an abundance of the sweet loving grace of God.  1 John 1: 9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Romans 5: 1, 2 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we  have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

When I consider how sin is viewed in heaven, and how it separates me from all that is Holy and Divine, I don’t believe I have taken it seriously enough, in my thoughts and prayers, each day.  After all, I am not really a bad person most of the time; from most people’s standpoint.   Subconsciously, that is probably my view of myself also, and even on a conscious level most of the time.  After all if I don’t ask the Holy Spirit to open my mind, my little slips, don’t seem so bad!  With the Holy Spirit at work in my mind and heart, I can see that every so called little sin serves to separate me from God, the One who is totally pure and divine.

No sinful man has seen the face of God—too brilliant and glorious for any sinful person to behold and live.  But Paul tells us, that Jesus Christ puts us right with God.  By our faith Jesus Christ we are justified from our sins and therefore at peace with God, and can be assured of how much we are loved.  I sincerely desire to fully understand and appreciate how much I am loved by God, for each day He and His Son become more precious to me.  Illuminate my heart and soul, Holy Spirit, so no darkness remains?

To know God and come to close to Him, has been made simple for us, for it is my every day faith in Him, made possible by reading and believing the messages in His word, by my prayer interactions with Him, and all that He does in my life and around about me, that consolidates my belief and need of Him in my life, every moment of every day.  Nothing else do I require to come to God, sinful though I be, for as Romans 5: 2 says, it is through Jesus Christ, that we now have access to the grace of God, as the righteousness of Jesus covers us, and we can be joyful, in the hope of sharing in His glory.

We do not have to be cleaned up and made sinless, before we take God at His word, and throw our needy sinful selves upon His mercy.  We can be sure of a positive reception.  Romans 5: 8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  So not only are we able to share in the grace of God, because of the death of Jesus Christ, it is by His resurrected life, we can are reconciled with God, and be saved.

It is hard when sickness and adversity come upon us, because we do not like, and often think because we love God, or live a certain way, we should be sheltered from these experiences.  Romans 5, further tells us, that we can be joyful in adversity, because even though we suffer, our characters are being purified and even deeper portions of the love of God, will be ours, sent by God and revealed by the Holy Spirit in our time of need.  In love for mankind, that is profound, God allowed His own sinless Son to come to dark, sinful earth, with Satan and a host of evil angels out to get Him in all ways possible, and lead Him into sin.  This profound love becomes deeper, because Jesus offered and willingly came down to earth, to carry out their joint plan.

Psalm 51: 15 “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.”