Insufficient Sufficient
His Strength Has Room to Work Only When We Run Out of Our Own
SCRIPTURE:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV - 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. 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.
OBSERVATION:
Paul had learned a valuable lesson we could do well to learn. His strength is made perfect in weakness, not his strength but his weakness.
As men (and often women), we see weakness as a sign of someone lacking fortitude, endurance, and strength. But God sees it as strength. How?
Because when we are weak and have nothing but His grace to rely on, He can be strong in our lives, strong in a way that would not be possible with our strength.
David Guzik explains it like this:
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NKJV - 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. 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.
OBSERVATION:
Paul had learned a valuable lesson we could do well to learn. His strength is made perfect in weakness, not his strength but his weakness.
As men (and often women), we see weakness as a sign of someone lacking fortitude, endurance, and strength. But God sees it as strength. How?
Because when we are weak and have nothing but His grace to rely on, He can be strong in our lives, strong in a way that would not be possible with our strength.
David Guzik explains it like this:
Paul was desperate in his desire to find relief from this burden, but there are two ways of relief. It can come by removing the load or by strengthening the shoulder that bears the load. Instead of taking away the thorn, God strengthened Paul under it, and God would show His strength through Paul’s apparent weakness.
To do this, Paul had to believe that God’s grace is sufficient. We really don’t believe God’s grace is sufficient until we believe we are insufficient. For many of us, especially in American culture, this is a huge obstacle. We are the people who idolize the “self-made man” and want to rely on ourselves. But we can’t receive God’s strength until we know our weakness. We can’t receive the sufficiency of God’s grace until we know our own insufficiency. – David Guzik.
To do this, Paul had to believe that God’s grace is sufficient. We really don’t believe God’s grace is sufficient until we believe we are insufficient. For many of us, especially in American culture, this is a huge obstacle. We are the people who idolize the “self-made man” and want to rely on ourselves. But we can’t receive God’s strength until we know our weakness. We can’t receive the sufficiency of God’s grace until we know our own insufficiency. – David Guzik.
APPLICATION:
Have you come to that place of realizing that in our insufficiencies, His grace is sufficient? It’s okay to be insufficient sufficient. That is when we realize that HE is enough; adequate in our weaknesses when we are not enough; inadequate, HE IS!
Sufficient - Enough; adequate. Insufficient – Not enough; inadequate.
That is the key to grace – His strength made perfect in [my] weakness.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Father, for giving me grace through Your Son. A strength I would never have received apart from recognizing my weakness, that I cannot save myself. I am insufficiently sufficient in You.
Have you come to that place of realizing that in our insufficiencies, His grace is sufficient? It’s okay to be insufficient sufficient. That is when we realize that HE is enough; adequate in our weaknesses when we are not enough; inadequate, HE IS!
Sufficient - Enough; adequate. Insufficient – Not enough; inadequate.
That is the key to grace – His strength made perfect in [my] weakness.
PRAYER:
Thank you, Father, for giving me grace through Your Son. A strength I would never have received apart from recognizing my weakness, that I cannot save myself. I am insufficiently sufficient in You.
We don't truly believe God's grace is sufficient until we've fully accepted that we are not — and that's exactly where His power begins.
Posted in 08 - 2 Corinthians
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