But he said to me, My grace is
sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will glory all the
more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest
on me. 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. 2 Corinthians 12 verses 9 and
10. There is a blessing in weakness,
because it nourishes dependence on God. When we are strong, or
deem ourselves strong, we are really weak, since then we trust
in ourselves and do not seek divine help. But when we are
consciously weak, knowing ourselves unequal to our duties and struggles,
we are strong, because then we turn to Christ and get His strength. Too many people think their weakness
a barrier to their usefulness, or make it an excuse for doing
little with their life. Instead of this, however, if
we give it to Christ, He will transform our weakness into strength. He says that his power is made
perfect in weakness. That is, what is lacking in human
strength, he fills and makes up with divine strength. Paul
had learned this when he said that he now gloried in his weakness,
because on account of them, the strength of Christ rested upon
him, so that when he was weak, then he was strong, strong with
divine strength. We need only to make sure of
one thing, that we do indeed bring our weakness to Christ,
and lean on him in simple faith. This is the vital link in getting
the blessing. Weakness itself is a burden. It is like chains upon our limbs. If we try to carry it alone,
we shall only fail. But if we lay it on the strong
Son of God, and let Him carry us and our burden, going on quietly
and firmly in the way of duty, He will make our very weakness
a secret source of strength. He will not take the weakness
from us, that is not His promise, but He will so fill it with His
own power that we shall be strong, more than conquerors, able to
do all things through Christ who strengthens us. This is the
blessed secret of having our burdening weakness transformed
into vital strength. The secret can be found only
in Christ, and in Him it can be found by every humble, trusting
disciple. This Puritan devotional has been
brought to you by Grace Gems, a treasury of ageless Sovereign
Grace writings. Please visit our website at www.gracegems.org,
where you can browse and freely download thousands of choice
books, sermons, and quotes, along with select audio messages. No
donations accepted. Thank you.