"But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me." - 2 Timothy 1:12
Strength in weakness; God’s power is seen in my powerlessness. The Bible is full of examples of God’s ability to “save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Jesus.” Our lives become living illustrations of the same thing; not of our ability to stand strong but of God’s ability to save us in spite of our weakness.
The Apostle Paul said, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” He said that once when he was struggling with his own weakness, the Lord had told him "My grace is enough for you, because My power is made perfect in weakness.”
Are you discouraged by your own weakness? Do you find that when you face certain temptations your best bet is to run away, because you know that if you try to face them you will fail?
Why doesn’t the Lord just inject us with the sanctification we need to not be subject to those temptations any more?
The answer is that His power is made perfect in our weakness. We learn through the painful process of failure to cling to His mercy and forgiveness. We learn to rely only on His strength to resist them at all, and not trust our own strength, because ours will fail.
His Holy Spirit works in us to build new strength and ultimately deliver us, usually slowly and patiently so that the lesson is thoroughly learned; it isn’t my ability to stand, but His ability to keep me that will get me through.
Lord, You know my frame; You know that I’m made of dust. My own ability to resist temptation is nonexistent. Thank You for the grace that receives me in Your forgiveness. I could never make my way back to You if You didn’t just forgive me. Thank you for Your Holy Spirit, to walk me through the next round in victory. Keep me close to You as we face it, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Pastor Dan Giles