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TURN YOUR WEAKNESS INTO A WEAPON
‘I just let Christ take over! ...’
2 CORINTHIANS 12:10
Speaking of his ‘thorn’, Paul writes: ‘…I was given the gift of a handicap…At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it…he told me, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift…Now I take my limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become’ (vv. 7-10 TM).
Paul learned how to turn his weakness into a weapon by allowing it to drive him closer to God. And that’s a lesson you must learn too. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Christ’s first beatitude: ‘You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule’ (Matthew 5:3 TM).
Now, you can’t just accept your character flaws and areas of defeat and say, ‘Well, I guess that’s just the way I am.’ No, you must confront each area of weakness, confess it, and ‘let Christ take over’. You will always struggle with one thing or another.
Paul recognised this: ‘…We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us…’ (2 Corinthians 4:7 TM). Like common pottery, fragile, flawed and easily broken, God will use you as you surrender and allow Him to work through you.
written by Bob Gass
‘I just let Christ take over! ...’
2 CORINTHIANS 12:10
Speaking of his ‘thorn’, Paul writes: ‘…I was given the gift of a handicap…At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it…he told me, “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift…Now I take my limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become’ (vv. 7-10 TM).
Paul learned how to turn his weakness into a weapon by allowing it to drive him closer to God. And that’s a lesson you must learn too. Eugene Peterson paraphrases Christ’s first beatitude: ‘You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule’ (Matthew 5:3 TM).
Now, you can’t just accept your character flaws and areas of defeat and say, ‘Well, I guess that’s just the way I am.’ No, you must confront each area of weakness, confess it, and ‘let Christ take over’. You will always struggle with one thing or another.
Paul recognised this: ‘…We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us…’ (2 Corinthians 4:7 TM). Like common pottery, fragile, flawed and easily broken, God will use you as you surrender and allow Him to work through you.
written by Bob Gass
