And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me; but he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9
A few days ago, the Lord revealed to me my faults. And as I saw myself through the eyes of the Lord, I felt so bad because I thought that I was being a hypocrite - preaching Gods word - and still having these faults in me. As I bring these to prayer, I feel that the Lord tell me that no one is worthy to serve him and it is only through his faithfulness that he makes us worthy.
As we come to the Lord, he justifies us and makes us righteous before his sight. We are not worthy and will never be worthy of serving him. BUT because of his faithfulness, he considers us righteous and therefore, worthy of serving him. We are worthy, not because of what we have done - but because God says so.
I then asked the Lord about these faults. I asked him to heal me of my sinfulness. As I prayed, the Lords seemed to tell me that these faults are my thorns in the flesh. I also had the impression that I will have to struggle against them until I die.
But I found relief in these verses from Paul. No one really knows what this thorn in Pauls flesh was, but for me, these thorns in my flesh serve the same purpose: to keep me from being proud.
These thorns in my flesh are there to remind me of my weaknesses. These are there to remind me of my sinfulness and of my need for Gods salvation. These are also reminders that I must always rely on Gods faithfulness and power - rather than my own strength to do his work.
Yes, Gods grace is sufficient for me. Because I am what I am - by Gods grace. It is his grace that called me. It is his grace that justified me and it is his grace that sanctifies me. When people see me - I pray that they will see Gods grace and mercy, that instead of stricking me down, he has justified me and called me serve him.
Lent is a season where God shows us his grace. It is a season where God shows us his love for us - that he sent his only Son to die for sinners so that by this death and resurrection, we may be deemed righteous and worthy before his sight.
Rejoice, because Gods grace is sufficient for us. May we learn to rely on his grace and mercy during this glorious season.
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