July 4 - When I Am Weak

Overview of: 2 Corinthians

Today's Reading:
2Cor. 11:16 – 12:10
"Strength in Weakness"

Focus Verses: 2 Cor. 12:9-10
9 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 Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Insight:
Weaknesses are usually things we try to hide. They're not a source of pride and satisfaction. Yet Paul was able to rejoice and "boast" in his weaknesses as he learned to see them as testimonies of God's grace in his life. Paul's failures and weaknesses put God's power and grace on display. Paul was doing things, becoming things, enduring things, and accomplishing things he could have never done in his own strength.

Response and Action:
I will look to the grace and provision of God to help me be faithful and fruitful despite my weaknesses. The failures, struggles, and shortcomings of my life are perfect opportunities for God's goodness and strength to be displayed. Instead of hiding my weaknesses and struggles, I want to be open about them so that I, and others, can recognize and give thanks to God for his transforming and sustaining power.

O God, by the power and grace of your Holy Spirit, lead, teach, transform, shape, and strengthen me, that I might delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Grant me the wisdom and the will guard my heart, feed my spirit, stimulate my mind, and care for my body. I am weak, but you are strong. Uphold me by your powerful and faithful hand. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.

Old Testament for Today: Isaiah 12:2
2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
In Context: Isaiah 12

Proverb for Today: Prov. 4:13
"Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life."

Recommended Reading:
Never Beyond Hope: How God Touches & Uses Imperfect People
by J. I . Packer