Four Hands On The Wheel
The passage I read the other day is one of my most favorites and most impactful in my life. 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 is well known for it's "My grace is sufficient" part but there is so much more there.
Paul's comment "but I refrain [from boasting] so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say" is powerful. What I do should be all that matters. What I may tout or say may be good but how I live my life says so much more. I'm gonna mess up. I'm gonna say the wrong things because I can be a little dense or moody (yup... just ask my sweetie). But God will never say the wrong things. He will always be there and if I am doing my best to let Him be my Guide then my actions should be more in line with Him. My actions "speak" the state of my heart.
The section about the thorn given to Paul to keep him from becoming conceited points to God being in control, too. I have clung to this part because of my need for any excuse for my weaknesses. Imperfection, after all, is not coveted much by humanity. Is my thorn there simply to show that I can not live without God's help? Nothing is worth anything without the touch of God upon it. I've learned that all too well. What I say means very little unless God is in it. Christ's power can best be seen and used by Him only when I am "out of the way." Because I am human, even when I am willing to follow Him my nature gets in the way, so God "removes" me in order to use me.
Think of it this way... I'm driving my car in the direction God wants. I'm willing to go wherever He directs but with my hands on the wheel it is more difficult for Him to make sudden swerves or take minor tangents along the way. Four hands on the steering wheel never leads to a positive end. My knee-jerk reaction might aim to stay on course while God's desire is to go an entirely different direction that He may not have been able to share with me (probably for fear that I'd crash and die).
"My grace is sufficient for you." Yes, it is... more than sufficient. He knows my humanity can get in the way. He made me this way and actually likes me this way... He did it on purpose. He knows I will screw things up a lot along the way but without my errors and crazy human nature I would not realize how much I need Him and want His help. Offering His grace is a much better solution than removing the thorn (or thorns, as in my case, I'm sure!). My weakness makes for a better, more real example of God working in my life.
Paul's comment "but I refrain [from boasting] so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say" is powerful. What I do should be all that matters. What I may tout or say may be good but how I live my life says so much more. I'm gonna mess up. I'm gonna say the wrong things because I can be a little dense or moody (yup... just ask my sweetie). But God will never say the wrong things. He will always be there and if I am doing my best to let Him be my Guide then my actions should be more in line with Him. My actions "speak" the state of my heart.
The section about the thorn given to Paul to keep him from becoming conceited points to God being in control, too. I have clung to this part because of my need for any excuse for my weaknesses. Imperfection, after all, is not coveted much by humanity. Is my thorn there simply to show that I can not live without God's help? Nothing is worth anything without the touch of God upon it. I've learned that all too well. What I say means very little unless God is in it. Christ's power can best be seen and used by Him only when I am "out of the way." Because I am human, even when I am willing to follow Him my nature gets in the way, so God "removes" me in order to use me.
Think of it this way... I'm driving my car in the direction God wants. I'm willing to go wherever He directs but with my hands on the wheel it is more difficult for Him to make sudden swerves or take minor tangents along the way. Four hands on the steering wheel never leads to a positive end. My knee-jerk reaction might aim to stay on course while God's desire is to go an entirely different direction that He may not have been able to share with me (probably for fear that I'd crash and die).
"My grace is sufficient for you." Yes, it is... more than sufficient. He knows my humanity can get in the way. He made me this way and actually likes me this way... He did it on purpose. He knows I will screw things up a lot along the way but without my errors and crazy human nature I would not realize how much I need Him and want His help. Offering His grace is a much better solution than removing the thorn (or thorns, as in my case, I'm sure!). My weakness makes for a better, more real example of God working in my life.
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