5th. March. 2021. Daily Devotion.
Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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. 10 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 12:7-10
Christianity is full of paradoxical statements. Christ himself loved to state His teachings in seeming paradox. For instance, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
We do not know exactly what Paul’s weakness was, possibly his eyesight. However, he saw it as a conduit for the power of God.
Christ loves us for our weakness, unlike the world. The meek will inherit the earth. Humiliation, often said to be the worst human fear, leads to humility.
We suffer, as humans, in our bodies; it is unavoidable. But we should not suffer embarrassment from our weakness. Our weakness is holy; and the more fully we live in Christ, the holier our weaknesses become. Once we give ourselves to Christ, we essentially give ourselves up for dead; our life is in heaven. I am no longer a body that has a soul, as C.S. Lewis puts it, but a soul that has a body. A temporary body. So do not complain of your weaknesses, for in Christ, power is weakness, and in weakness lies the power of Christ. M Barge (edited).
Lord God let me never complain of my weakness; but always remember that my weakness is made power in Christ. Amen.
For a Steady Mind in Prayer
O Lord take from me idleness of spirit, which destroys time; and vanity of thought, which hinders Your presence and distracts my attention to prayer. And if, while in prayer, I turn away from You in my thoughts, help me to return to my purpose; so that I might not avert my heart from You, during the few precious moments I dedicate to talking with You.
And grant today, dear Lord, that you may never be completely out of my thoughts. Let me carry you as a voice to guide my every step as I slip down the path of this precious day, that I might always remember your will, and lighten the world around me. Help me to make every moment of my day, every word from my mouth, a prayer, that I might live in Your presence. Amen
Lenten Prayer
Creator God forgive us for the times we have taken more than we need. Restore our relationships with each other and with the earth. Work through us to produce your fruit. Amen.
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through the desolate days of pandemic that we lose not our hold on things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Adapted from Common Worship.
