Weakness

But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christs power may rest on me.

(2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV)

 

This well know verse needs to be placed in context to feel the full weight of it.  Paul, the author is writing about a thorn in his flesh, whether a physical or other pain that he has struggled with for some time.  Paul has been praying for God to remove the pain, and this verse is God’s answer to that prayer.

 

Some have said God won’t give you more than you can handle, but this verse reminds us that it is not about what you can handle but instead what He can do in and through you.  It is a reminder that it is about what He bore for us when Jesus died on the cross for you and I, and God’s ability to shoulder the pains and struggles of each of our lives.

 

This is the good news of the gospel.  God offers, through what Jesus did on the cross, to take on the burdens that we cannot bear.  The Good News is that Jesus has already born the burden of our sins for us, and has offered us new life in Him.  The Good News is not that God gives us only what we can bear, but He gives us so much more, and offers to walk with us and share the load.

 

Pastor Bill