Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of song and lyrics from of Steven Curtis Chapman singing … His Strength Is Perfect … poignantly singing of how we all need to surrender our weakness/faults to God’s strength.
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Highlight Verse[s]: 2Corinthians 12:9 [NLT] … My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
… Jesus relates His promise of enabling grace to Paul, stricken with a "thorn."
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Highlight Passage [context]: 2Corinthians 12:1-10 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul discovered that he actually needed his “thorn” weakness to keep him humble enough to receive God’s grace.
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Reference Passage : … Psalm 14:2-3 [NIV] … 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. … 3 But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!
… Quoted by Paul in Romans 3:10, showing that we’re all broken … in need of redemption and repair.
Reference Passage : … Matthew 11:28-30 [NIV] … 28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
… Jesus invites His weakened disciples to rely on His strength.
Reference Passage : … Romans 3:9-10 [NIV] … 9 Well then, should we conclude that we Jews are better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all people, whether Jews or Gentiles, are under the power of sin. 10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. [see Ps. 14:3]
… Paul, documenting the OT truth that we’re all broken/sinners in some way.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Adam Holz, uses a story about a “crooked church steeple” to illustrate how we all have imperfections but try to cover them up or get them repaired ASAP. And the ODB author wrote: Turns out that crooked church steeples make people nervous. When we visited some friends, they shared how, after a fierce windstorm, their church’s proud steeple was crooked, causing some alarm [see photo].
Of course, the church quickly repaired the flagging spire, but the humorous image got me thinking. Often church is seen as a place where everything is expected to look perfect; it’s not seen as a place where we can show up crooked. Right? But in a fallen, broken world, all of us are “crooked,” each with our own collection of natural weaknesses.
We all have imperfections - i.e, weaknesses - don’t we? Both the OT and the NT document that condition (see Ps 14:2-3 and Romans 3:10). So, why do we take such actions, as individuals - or even organizations, like churches, to hide our flaws or get them corrected ASAP?
I think we’re simply being very human and are unwilling to surrender our control to God and to receive His enabling/empowering grace. The Apostle Paul sustained a damage, he described as a “thorn,” in the highlight passage; but after praying hard to have it taken way, he realized that he actually needed the flaw to keep him humble enough to receive God’s grace.
What flaws or imperfections do we just need to surrender to God and allow Him to empower us as Steven Curtis Chapman sings in the linked song.
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Abba Father, … thank You, Lord, … for using our flaws to amplify Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, … King Jesus, … I pray, Lord, that all reading here can, and will, join me, to surrender our flaws to the Holy Spirit and let Him use them to glorify our Lord. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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