Friday Nurturing Content - 10/20/23

Happy Friday, Friend!

If you’ve been following along with our theme this month, you’ll know we’ve been talking about God’s renewed mercies all throughout October.

For our monthly challenge, we’ve been following a Prayer Calendar, where we’ve been reading through several passages that reflect on God’s love and compassion for us as His children, His mercy and grace toward us despite our weaknesses and sinful nature, and the hope we have as Christians knowing that our identity is rooted in Christ.

I encourage you to take a look at the calendar if you haven’t yet. Don’t worry about starting at the beginning—just jump right in and go to today’s date!

In the meantime, let’s dive into another devotional. This one is from 2 Corinthians 12:1-10. In the Bible, this passage is called Paul’s Visions and His Thorn and it is in this passage (vv. 7-8) that we learn about the thorn that Paul has in his flesh—something that caused great discomfort and weakness—that he’s pleaded with the Lord to remove.

Pay close attention to the following verses:

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. (vv. 9-10)

In the verse right before that, we read that Paul asked the Lord three times to remove the thorn; this weakness that is in him. Three times. Can you imagine that?!

And, yet, instead of removal, God offered Paul something far more profound—His grace.

How often do we find ourselves asking God to remove the weaknesses, struggles, or challenges from our own lives? Maybe, like Paul, you’ve prayed and asked three times. Or, maybe, you’ve asked ten, twenty, or even fifty times.

We may hope for a life without difficulties, thinking that it would actually make us stronger to not have to battle each and every challenge we face.

Yet, God's response to Paul reminds us that His grace is sufficient for whatever the challenge is that lies ahead. And, His power is actually made perfect because of our weakness.

God's renewed mercy is not about taking away our difficulties but about providing strength in the midst of them.

When Paul embraced his weakness, he opened the door for Christ's power to rest upon him. A power that he wouldn’t have experienced had he not been weak in the first place!

It's a paradoxical truth—that in admitting our vulnerability, we tap into God's limitless strength.

I challenge you today to reflect upon your own life in light of this passage.

Consider your own weaknesses and struggles. Are there aspects of your life that you wish were different? Are there thorns in your flesh causing you discomfort?

Take a moment to reflect on how God's grace has sustained you through these challenges and how you discovered His strength for each situation despite feeling weak yourself, whether in spirit or in flesh.

Remember, when we boast in our weaknesses, we acknowledge our need for God's mercy, and in doing so, His power is magnified in our lives.

So, the next time you feel weak, let that be an invitation for God to display His mighty power in and through you!

Dedicated to your success,

Coach Tam