orinthians 12:8-10 – Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 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. 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 I am strong. GRACE= getting what we do not deserve. An unmerited or undeserved favor from God. Grace is a gift. Jesus Christ is the Gift! A gift is not something given because we are deserving. That would be considered a wage. A gift is something given by someone who loves the recipient and does not expect nothing in return, because there is nothing we can give to pay for it. Jesus Christ, “The Gift” is priceless! .We do not deserve God’s love through the shed blood of Christ, but because of “Grace” God gave it to us anyhow. He said “My Grace is sufficient for you.” Saints, Grace brought us through. Grace gave us hope for eternity! Are you hurting? Are you in Pain? Are you angry? Have you been rejected? Are you tired of going through what you have been going through? Have you told God to take away the pain and it appears to linger? Are you still asking God why he allowed this bad thing to happen to you or if He is God, why is He allowing all this pain? Are you tired of carrying the heaven burdens? Well, I have good news for you on this morning. God says to you that “His Grace is sufficient for you.” Apostle Paul had what is called “a thorn in the flesh.” He asked God 3 times to take it away and each time God’s answer to him was “my Grace is sufficient for you.” God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. Verse #10 gives us a list of the weaknesses that Paul was possible referencing when he asked God to remove his thorn and God answered him back by saying “My Grace is sufficient for you.” Because God said that “His Grace is sufficient for you to Paul”, Paul now says, 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. In other words, Paul is saying that in his suffering for Christ, in insults, in hardship, persecution, distress, sickness, grave dangers, calamities, physical or mental afflictions, etc., He will be content. Philippians 4:11 – For I have learned to be content in whatever my circumstances may be. How can we find contentment? In God’s Word, in prayer, praise, in worship and a total surrender to the will of God for your life. Knowing, that regardless of what we are feeling, regardless of what is happening, God is Sovereign, He knows all about it and there is a purpose in why He is allowing it. Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Through the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, we can make it! The peace in knowing that regardless of what we or we may suffer, that God is with us. He said in His Word that He will never leave us nor forsake us; lo He is with us always, even unto the end. Do you believe that? Do you believe that God’s grace is sufficient for you in your situation this morning? Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct[a] your paths. God wants us “God dependent and not self dependent!” I am sure God would show “Grace” by removing Paul’s thorn and ours, so we would want to think or believe when we are hurting, but, as it is with Paul, it is also with us. God is going to allow us to suffer some things for His sake to make us into the likeness of His image. That is our purpose; to be like Christ and unfortunately, pain, hurt and suffering is one of the means of transportation in getting us there. Even with his thorn in the flesh, in spite of his disability, God made Paul effective in service.. This has also been true of so many of God’s saints, you and I.We would not have been as effective for God as we are today, if God had not allowed us to suffer some things. Come on now, let’s be honest for a moment! God used Paul’s thorn to bless others. It has been a great comfort through the centuries to many sufferers that a great saint like Paul was not spared his thorn. They are able to identify with him. They can rest assured that a thorn in the flesh is not a sign that God is dissatisfied with them but, rather, provides an opportunity for God’s grace to be sufficient. To qualify for God’s power. The Lord told Paul in verse # 9- “My power is made perfect in weakness.” This is true for us too! The power of the Spirit is given to us to help sustain and keep us in the midst of all circumstances. To all of you who are still praying to for God to remove your “Thorn”, God is saying to you and to me ““My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” As your mind may make an attempt to focus on what is not right, what is wrong and what is painful and hurtful, remember, “God’s Grace is sufficient for you”. Nothing shall separate you from the love of God whic
Posted on: Sun, 08 Sep 2013 13:55:28 +0000
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