STUCK WITH A THORN ? 2 Corinthians 12:9

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

A small, older, hunched-over lady greeted us with a glowing smile at the doorway of our little son Matthew’s Sunday school room. She was one of the most effective Sunday school teachers at our church, and Matt loved her. I’ll never forget the time she told me, “Pastor, God made me small and bent over so that I can be right down here where the children are! If I weren’t like this, I couldn’t relate to them so well.” I was blown away by her perspective on her plight in life—her “thorn in the flesh.”

A thorn in the flesh is any affliction in our lives that, if we aren’t careful, can defeat us with a good dose of self-pity and embitter us toward God. But the important thing to know about our thorns is that Satan desires to use them to defeat us, while God is determined to use them for our good and His glory.

The apostle Paul is probably the most famous example of someone who was stuck with a thorn in the flesh. Paul knew right where the thorn had come from. He referred to it as a messenger of Satan. And though Paul never tells us what his thorn was, I think it’s clear that it was a serious problem to Paul. He said: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me” (2 Corinthians 12:8). God didn’t answer his prayer with a miraculous healing, but rather assured Paul that, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

It’s important to know that when God permits a thorn to remain, He gives us grace to accept it and sometimes even the grace to understand the purpose for which the thorn is intended. Paul came to realize that God permitted his affliction “to keep me from becoming conceited” (v.7). Paul was a gifted person and could have easily become proud in his abilities and accomplishments. That proud spirit would have been a disaster to his usefulness for God. So God took what Satan had intended to defeat Paul and turned it into a smashing victory by enabling him to stay appropriately humble and therefore useful.

Getting a grip on why God permits our afflictions, weaknesses, or disabilities to remain has a powerful effect on our attitudes. Instead of shaking his fist at God and grumbling about his thorn, Paul realized that God’s power was being made perfect in his weakness. That insight produced an upbeat spirit of delight and satisfaction. As Paul said, “for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong” (v.10).

We normally don’t think of being strong in weakness, but that’s just how God works. He knows that if we think we are strong in and of ourselves, then we will become proud and self-sufficient. And when we feel that way, we are in reality very weak and unable to accomplish much of anything except for thinking how cool and capable we are. God has a better plan. When He needs to accomplish really great things through us, He sometimes needs to get our twisted view of ourselves out of the way. So He takes Satan’s intrusions into our lives and beats Satan at his own game! You may see it as a thorn, but God sees it as a triumph!

You don’t have to be Paul to start seeing what God is doing through your thorn. Rejoice that He cares enough to keep you from getting in the way of the great things that He wants to do through your life!

http://www.rbc.org/bible-study/strength-for-the-journey/2010/05/21/daily-message.aspx

What Kind of Soil Are You? Luke 8:5

"...A sower went out to sow his seed..." Luke 8:5

The seed of God's Word is always productive. The only variable is the soil of our hearts. In the parable of the sower Jesus discusses different kinds of soil:

1) Hard soil. In Bible times hard-packed footpaths ran alongside the farmer's field. Any seed falling there just shriveled and died. Be careful; when you've been walked on and disappointed, you can become callous; you can develop a tough, impenetrable shield that makes it easy for satan to come along and steal the seed of God's Word before it has a chance to grow. Prayer will keep that from happening, so '...break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord...' (Hosea 10:12 NIV).

2) Superficial soil. In Jesus' day much of the farmland was just a few inches of topsoil over rock, with nothing to sustain roots. One Bible teacher writes: 'Superficiality is the curse of the age. We live in a world of shallow relationships, superficial conversations, and hurried moments of prayer. We bounce from one spiritual activity to another without any real root system.'

3) Cluttered soil. This ground was overgrown with weeds. There was no room for anything else. Clutter happens so easily, and it's dangerous because it's so subtle. Ever notice how often you're bombarded with guarantees that material things will bring you happiness? Like the car manufacturer who advertises, 'You can't buy happiness, but you can drive it!' Get real! Do a soil analysis and weed out anything that's hindering your spiritual growth. Once your heart's tender, your devotion deep, and your life uncluttered, you'll be good ground that yields fruit for God.


UCB Word For Today 23 May 2010

Go All the Way - Philippians 3:10

Go All the Way

...And go all the way with him... Philippians 3:10
While John was a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos, far from his loved ones and surrounded by the cries of abused captives, he had a vision of Jesus. He writes, '...When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead...' (Revelation 1:17 NKJV). Incredible revelation in the midst of confinement, chaos and pain; that's how it works! The difficult circumstances you're going through right now can actually clear your perceptions, cause you to seek God as never before, and find answers for your life. John's predicament proves that negative experiences don't hide the Lord; they reveal Him. Instead of destroying you, Satan's attack can actually develop you. Yes, it stresses you, but it also stretches you spiritually. In Hebrews chapter 11 we see two things: the deeds of their faith and the depth of their faith. Where did God prove His faithfulness to Daniel? In the lions' den. Where did the Lord reveal Himself to the three Hebrew children? In a fire heated seven times over. There's a place in God where fiery trials consume everything except your desire to know Him. Though that place may sometimes escape your grasp, never let it escape your gaze. It was Paul's all-consuming goal: 'I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him.' There it is: no reservations, no retreat, and no regrets; just a desire to know God intimately and a commitment to 'go all the way with him.' Let that be your heart's desire today!

- UCB Word For Today 21/May/2010

Refuse to Let Fear Stop You! - Luke 19:21

"I was afraid..." Luke 19:21
Ask yourself, 'What would I attempt, if I weren't afraid of failing?' Jesus told of a man who entrusted his business to three key workers. He gave the first worker five talents, the second two, and the third one. In Bible times one talent was about fifteen years' salary, so you begin to grasp what an opportunity this was. It was a defining moment which gave each of them the chance to test their skills, develop initiative, practice good judgment, and profit from their investment. The first two men did exactly that, doubling theirs. But the third was afraid of failing, so he buried his talent. Jesus described this man as 'wicked' and said his talents would be taken from him and given to the man who used his profitably. He wasn't judged for what he did, he was judged for doing nothing. Fear of people, fear of failure, and fear of rejection can tempt you to bury your gift. Don't do it! Unless you've the courage to start-you're already finished. When God called people like Moses, Gideon, Deborah and Esther they all had to overcome their natural fears; so will you. When they were in the wilderness, fear of lack made the Israelites want to go back to Egyptian slavery. Fear of persecution caused the disciples to forsake Jesus in His darkest hour, and caused Peter to deny Him-three times. Refuse to let fear stop you! How you use your talents is a matter of the utmost importance. The truth is, it's the basis upon which God will finally judge and reward you.

7/May/2010 UCB word for today