By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:7 WEBPaul, the converted Christian hunter who wrote a lot of the New Testament, had a thorn in the flesh. He does not say what it was. It may have been lust, or a critical spirit, or headaches, or possibly bad eyes (Galatians 4:15). Whatever it was, it bothered him and he wanted to be free of it. Paul asked the Lord three times to take it away, but the Lord told him 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' Paul continued to minister while the thorn was still there.
The grace of God is like oil that smooths the gears of life. It makes things fall into place, and it can make you be at the right place, at the right time, saying the right things, and knowing all the right answers. When the Lord herded me into my own computer repair business, it seemed like they almost fixed themselves. Often when I touched them, they suddenly started working correctly, or the problem revealed itself.
Grace can make things seem easy, but when the grace lifts, things become difficult and that can be a sign to move on. Later, when the Lord decided to put me in the ministry, the computer business dried completely up and it became a living nightmare. It seemed like trivial things like burning a disk could take half a day, where it used to take a few minutes. The grace was gone, and it was time to move on.
Having problems and thorns will not stop God from using you. If you are walking with something today that will not leave, and you cry out to the Lord repeatedly, but still it is there, don't give up. Know that His grace is sufficient to get you through this day, and He will still use the imperfect and weak to show His power, with all their flaws, just as He continued to use Paul.
Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for Your grace. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live a life that is pleasing to You. Lead me into all that You have for me here, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray.Note: Good morning! For those who may have been trying to add photos to the website via your phone the last couple of days, you may have noticed the lack of an icon to do that :). That issue is now fixed, so please give it a try and let us know if you have any issues! The Creation Photographers fun theme for the week is "A Stranger's Smile", based on Matthew 25:35! As always, you are free to post anything else that inspires you, too! ALSO, the latest Bible Study covering Luke Chapter Nineteen is now available! For links to these areas and more, please see the Announcements at the top of our home page here:
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Amen to His Will.
Yes Lord Jesus, amen.
Amen
Great message this morning!
Prayer: Heavenly Father I thank You for Your grace. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live a life that is pleasing to You. Lead me into all that You have for me here, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen Thank you
God open the doors and help us to move on. Amen
Thank you Lord for your grace & unconditional love for me
Amen!
Amen!
Amen! We always have to remember that God looks at the heart. What that really means is He knows if you really have chosen to live His way. Nothing is too hard for God, but He is not Santa Clause!
Amen!!
Thank You Jesus for Grace.I believe and trust you. I love and worship you. Thank you for all my blessings. Amen
Amen!
Thank you!
Thank You for Your grace Father!
Heavenly Father, You know I'm a sinner. That Your grace keep holding me to do what You want me to do,in Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Amen!
So true. I really despise part of my work and feel like I’m supposed to get a secretary, a new EHR and a new building. That is so much change that I just keep things as they are. But the grace seems to not be where and when I want it. Could it be the grace is gone so that I am motivated to change?
Michelle, that is certainly something He can do - remove His grace to move you into something new, especially if you believe that you need to change, but just don't want to. Praying for greater clarity over these decisions, sister, and that He closes any doors that are not His, and protects you from errors, in the name of Jesus!
Thank you Sylvia!!!!!
Amen!
Amen. Praise God! Thanks Pastor Todd! Heavenly Father I thank You for Your grace. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live a life that is pleasing to You. Lead me into all that You have for me here, in the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Amen. Thank God for thorns. They keep me humble. His grace is sufficient, it keeps me!
Heavenly Father I thank You for Your grace. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live a life that is pleasing to You. Lead me into all that You have for me here, in the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen <3
Thank You Pastor Dion. :-)