"[God] 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.... For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:9-10, NIV).
"Sufficient" is almost a dirty word today. Try posting in a chat room that "$50,000 a year per person is enough for any household; those who earn more should give the rest away"--and brace yourself for a firestorm of "You must be crazy" responses. Nobody really wants to believe that wealth and success cause more problems than they solve, that average achievement is good enough, that constant striving for "better things" is bad news waiting to happen. At least, no one really wants to believe that these principles apply to them. No matter how many people prove by example that there's no such thing as "enough wealth/success/popularity to make you happy," the vast majority of humanity remains certain of being the exception to the rule.
Such a "more for me" attitude is a widespread manifestation of the self-centeredness that equals pride--and no one is saying much against it. God calls pride of heart detestable (cf. Prov. 16:5); we call it a virtue. While we still detest the blatantly arrogant, we chide the self-deprecating soul to "have more faith in yourself," and we become indignant if someone suggests that "thinking our way to success" is a selfish idea.
Paul, who saw more than the average number of ups and downs in his lifetime, knew better. He was so confident that God's grace--God's constant presence, support, and forgiveness--was the only thing needed to meet all his needs, that he actually was grateful for his inabilities and hard times. His problems helped keep him humble, after all; and only the humble experience God's grace to the full.
The next time you're about to pray for relief from a problem, why not start by thanking God in advance for whatever He's going to do through it? He may not show us His real purpose for years--perhaps not even in this life--but we can be confident that in His never-failing grace He is always up to something good.
When the weight you carry seems too much to bear,
When you see no answer to your desperate prayer,
When your life seems haunted by unceasing pain--
Trust God has a purpose and will make it plain.
Trust in God's sufficient grace,
Flowing from Heaven when we are weak,
Building His strength in us,
Perfecting His power as His face we seek.
When your will is failing fast beneath a test,
That is when the Spirit's strength is at its best;
When you have no basis left for human pride,
You are at your strongest through God's power inside.
Trust in God's sufficient grace,
Flowing from Heaven when we are weak,
Building His strength in us,
Perfecting His power as His face we seek.
Do not fret and worry when your strength is small;
Do not curse your weakness--God ordains it all;
Take your trials in gladness as His gift of love;
Strength is found in weakness through His power above.
Trust in God's sufficient grace,
Flowing from Heaven when we are weak,
Building His strength in us,
Perfecting His power as His face we seek.
Showing posts with label God's strength. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God's strength. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, August 4, 2008
The Great War
People become Christians for different reasons. Some are raised in the church and simply "grow into" personal faith. Some are attracted by the peace and joy they see in Christian acquaintances. Some people come to Christ out of desperation, having found everything else empty.
And some, sadly, convert in the hope that life will become all prosperity and ease. True, there is plenty "in it for us": forgiveness of sins; eternal salvation; increased strength to do right and to meet life's challenges. But the new believer whose primary motive is to see an end to those challenges is a likely candidate to fall away when God fails to "deliver." Often, well-meaning but not particularly well-informed believers are responsible for spreading the idea that "if you have faith, God will heal every illness, solve every financial problem, and remove every frustration." Some Christians are such zealots for this way of thinking that one wonders if they've ever really read the New Testament. How can they overlook the references to discipline, the hardships suffered by the apostles, and such verses as "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12)?
Not all such persecution comes from the unbelieving world. Some comes from the devil (who often trains his guns especially hard on new Christians and others with imminent spiritual-growth potential) and takes the form of illness, professional or financial difficulties, or just one day after another when everything seems to go wrong. Some persecution, sadly, comes from fellow believers: there are Christians who become envious and spiteful when God does great things through others; there are Christians who love church tradition more than God and who consider every new approach heretical; and there are Christians who add to others' suffering with platitudes of "you must have done something to deserve it" and "you obviously don't have enough faith to be healed."
And some of us take the role of our own persecutors. We lampoon ourselves for not growing faster or doing better. We focus on the size of our problems rather than on the size of our God. We add to our miseries by convincing ourselves that nothing ever goes right and God doesn't really care. We refuse to grow in Christ because it seems like too much work.
It is work. God doesn't call us to sign up for the extended vacations of our choice, but to enlist in His army. And it's not a peacetime army where the greatest hardships are running through obstacle courses and cleaning mess halls; good and evil are at active war in this world, and all of us are combat soldiers on hostile foreign territory.
Our Commanding Officer never loses a fight. But that won't do us much good if we go AWOL, refuse to follow orders, or question His battle plan. Strangely enough, the greatest "peace in Christ" goes to His hardest-fighting soldiers.
Fiercer far than any mortal battle ever fought on earth,
Longer far than any war that ever came to humankind,
Is the war fought by each Christian from the moment of rebirth,
The great battle that is centered in the selfish, sinful mind.
More relentless than the fighting waged in any human war,
Most incessant of all battles, never stopping for a rest,
Is the fight of every Christian to subdue all thoughts impure,
On the battlefield of life--the constant ground for Satan's test.
We, mere mortals, are too weak to fight the war without support;
We have nothing we can draw on in the human world alone.
It is God Who works within us; it is He Who builds the fort
And Who forges through His Spirit weapons of a mightier tone.
Through our faith in Christ we find the Strength in which we overcome;
Through our trust in Him we know the Power that brings us sure release.
And one day, all fighting over, we will rest in Heaven's home;
But within the battle, even now, we feel God's perfect peace.
And some, sadly, convert in the hope that life will become all prosperity and ease. True, there is plenty "in it for us": forgiveness of sins; eternal salvation; increased strength to do right and to meet life's challenges. But the new believer whose primary motive is to see an end to those challenges is a likely candidate to fall away when God fails to "deliver." Often, well-meaning but not particularly well-informed believers are responsible for spreading the idea that "if you have faith, God will heal every illness, solve every financial problem, and remove every frustration." Some Christians are such zealots for this way of thinking that one wonders if they've ever really read the New Testament. How can they overlook the references to discipline, the hardships suffered by the apostles, and such verses as "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim. 3:12)?
Not all such persecution comes from the unbelieving world. Some comes from the devil (who often trains his guns especially hard on new Christians and others with imminent spiritual-growth potential) and takes the form of illness, professional or financial difficulties, or just one day after another when everything seems to go wrong. Some persecution, sadly, comes from fellow believers: there are Christians who become envious and spiteful when God does great things through others; there are Christians who love church tradition more than God and who consider every new approach heretical; and there are Christians who add to others' suffering with platitudes of "you must have done something to deserve it" and "you obviously don't have enough faith to be healed."
And some of us take the role of our own persecutors. We lampoon ourselves for not growing faster or doing better. We focus on the size of our problems rather than on the size of our God. We add to our miseries by convincing ourselves that nothing ever goes right and God doesn't really care. We refuse to grow in Christ because it seems like too much work.
It is work. God doesn't call us to sign up for the extended vacations of our choice, but to enlist in His army. And it's not a peacetime army where the greatest hardships are running through obstacle courses and cleaning mess halls; good and evil are at active war in this world, and all of us are combat soldiers on hostile foreign territory.
Our Commanding Officer never loses a fight. But that won't do us much good if we go AWOL, refuse to follow orders, or question His battle plan. Strangely enough, the greatest "peace in Christ" goes to His hardest-fighting soldiers.
Fiercer far than any mortal battle ever fought on earth,
Longer far than any war that ever came to humankind,
Is the war fought by each Christian from the moment of rebirth,
The great battle that is centered in the selfish, sinful mind.
More relentless than the fighting waged in any human war,
Most incessant of all battles, never stopping for a rest,
Is the fight of every Christian to subdue all thoughts impure,
On the battlefield of life--the constant ground for Satan's test.
We, mere mortals, are too weak to fight the war without support;
We have nothing we can draw on in the human world alone.
It is God Who works within us; it is He Who builds the fort
And Who forges through His Spirit weapons of a mightier tone.
Through our faith in Christ we find the Strength in which we overcome;
Through our trust in Him we know the Power that brings us sure release.
And one day, all fighting over, we will rest in Heaven's home;
But within the battle, even now, we feel God's perfect peace.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Deliver Us from Evil
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith" (1 Peter 5:8-9, NIV).
In Bible days, a ferocious lion was among the most feared dangers, as a quick search of any concordance will verify. A modern equivalent might be the terrorist awaiting an opportunity to strike, or a Category 5 hurricane turning toward land. Whatever the analogy, the devil bides his time until he sees a chance to do as much damage as possible.
And like most hunters, he knows that the best time to catch prey with its guard down is while it's concentrating on satisfying its appetites. The "self-controlled and alert" are less vulnerable to Satan's schemes because they are less likely to be lulled into a false sense of security, or to insist on walking into obvious trouble in the name of reaching something that looks luscious.
Ultimately, though, we are all too weak to remain self-controlled and alert on our own. We can only stay safe from sin by keeping in close touch with God and fighting battles in His strength.
From the roaring lion who would devour,
From our own weak hearts, from enticement's power,
From the world and all who would see us sin,
Lord, protect our souls that You died to win.
That we grow in You and in Your strength,
That we be adorned with Your crown at length,
That we honor Your great and holy Name,
Lord, keep us from all that would bring You shame.
Let us seek Your will through all our days;
Let us live for Truth and delight in praise;
Let us find our strength through the Life You bring--
Lord, may we forever proclaim You King.
In Bible days, a ferocious lion was among the most feared dangers, as a quick search of any concordance will verify. A modern equivalent might be the terrorist awaiting an opportunity to strike, or a Category 5 hurricane turning toward land. Whatever the analogy, the devil bides his time until he sees a chance to do as much damage as possible.
And like most hunters, he knows that the best time to catch prey with its guard down is while it's concentrating on satisfying its appetites. The "self-controlled and alert" are less vulnerable to Satan's schemes because they are less likely to be lulled into a false sense of security, or to insist on walking into obvious trouble in the name of reaching something that looks luscious.
Ultimately, though, we are all too weak to remain self-controlled and alert on our own. We can only stay safe from sin by keeping in close touch with God and fighting battles in His strength.
From the roaring lion who would devour,
From our own weak hearts, from enticement's power,
From the world and all who would see us sin,
Lord, protect our souls that You died to win.
That we grow in You and in Your strength,
That we be adorned with Your crown at length,
That we honor Your great and holy Name,
Lord, keep us from all that would bring You shame.
Let us seek Your will through all our days;
Let us live for Truth and delight in praise;
Let us find our strength through the Life You bring--
Lord, may we forever proclaim You King.
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