“My grace is all you need.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 TEV.

God’s power increases in your life in proportion to your recognition of weakness.

My thoughts and comments today are about a “thorn in the flesh.”

While masquerading as strong, we secretly struggle with weakness. Our common humanity is not without them. People want to be seen by others as strong, even when they are not. Many of us are good at camouflage, hiding what we are unwilling to change, or do not know how to change, or simply will not admit to ourselves, others, or to God. Weaknesses are not easily recognized by others, sometimes not even by ourselves.

I live in Texas, and on a rural property where mesquite is plentiful. Mesquite has long, sharp thorns that can penetrate a truck tire. They are painful, leaving a soreness that lasts days not minutes. Paul struggled with worse pain, what he described as “a thorn in my flesh . . a messenger of Satan to buffet me.” Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NKJV. There is much speculation but no Bible explanation about the nature of this debilitating thing with which Paul suffered. Whatever it’s nature or source, a natural occurrence had a spiritual effect. Paul saw it as a weakness, an impairment that limited his usefulness for the Kingdom of God. Paul sought God for relief, but to no avail. Heaven was silent.

Maybe you are discouraged by what you consider, or think others would consider, a hindering weakness. Lack of education? Personal inhibitions? Inexperience? Feeling inferior? Limited abilities? Fears? What prevents you from being fully available to God? Perhaps you have earnestly sought God to remove what you see as obstacles, yet God seems silent.

Paul felt that painful silence. “Three times I prayed to the Lord about this and asked Him to take it away. But His answer was: ‘My grace is all you need . .’” 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 TEV. God’s grace is all you need; how wonderfully simple and sufficient! Read James 4:6-7 NLT. Let that truth resonate deep inside of you. But how can that be? Listen to God’s explanation: “. . for My power is greatest when you are weak.” You can’t escape it; only God can change it. Don’t run away from your weakness. With weakness in hand, run to Jesus, honestly and humbly. God’s power increases in your life in proportion to your recognition of weakness. The Bible tells of such people who, “Out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of [their enemies].” Hebrews 11:34 NKJV.  That will describe you in Christ – strong, valiant, and victorious.

It is better to have God’s strength than your own because, “the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” Read 1 Corinthians 1:23-31 NIV. The weakness that worried Paul was no concern to God. “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” Read 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 NIV. You might struggle to be strong, or at least appear to be; your real need is to allow the strength and sufficiency of God to operate freely through you. Paul’s advice? “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” Read Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV.

God is focused on what He can do, not on what you cannot. “Although [Jesus] died on the cross in weakness, He now lives by the mighty power of God. We, too, are weak, but we live in Him and have God’s power. 2 Corinthians 13:4 NLT.

My prayer for you today is: learn that trusting God completely is not weakness but strength.

Devotionals 1 Corinthians 1:23-31, 2 Corinthians 13:4, 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, 2 Coritnhians 12:7-10, all you need, common humanity, competent, Ephesians 6:10-18, God's power, Grace, Hebrews 11:34, James 4:6-6, man's strength, Power, strength, sufficiency, thorn in the flesh, weakness

“The Lord is my Shepherd . . my cup overflows with blessings.” Psalm 23:5 NLT

“Overflowing is the key to sharing; sharing is the key to overflowing even more!”

My thoughts today are about “overflowing fullness.”

How much is enough? That really depends, doesn’t it? That’s not an easy question to answer, actually. There are times in life when you will seem to have less than enough, and yet you will find God faithful and still manage to make do and get by. As a boy, I learned that from my Mom. Our family was of modest means, but never without. My Mom could do more with less than most people could do with more. I hope it’s a family trait.

More of the time you will have enough, not a lot to spare but nothing that you lack. Maybe those are the reasons that you will really enjoy the wonderful occasions when God gives you more than you earned and beyond what you need – a little extra to put away for the future, and a little bit to share. That sharing part is where you will find your greatest joy. Life at its best is not about what you get; it’s not about what you have; life in its fullness is about what you give.

If you never grow to that point, you will never have enough to enjoy, however much you have. Here’s what a wise King Solomon learned: “One man gives freely yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:24-25 NIV. What is in your overflowing cup? Indescribable joy! 1 Peter 1:18. Incredible peace! Philippians 4:7. Abounding grace! Romans 5:20 NKJV. Exceeding power! Ephesians 1:19-21/3:20. Abundant and eternal life! John 10:10. Overflowing with more than enough of everything!

The best lessons you will ever learn are the lessons that Jesus taught. Among them is the principle of giving and receiving. I think this principle is a life cycle that begins with receiving, but never ends as long as you perpetuate the cycle with your continuing liberality. Remember the cup that David describes as “overflowing with blessing?” If that overflow is not shared with intentionality and purpose, it becomes little more than extravagant and wasteful spillage, not doing you or anyone else any measurable good!

The blessings of God are for more than self-enrichment; you are equipped and entrusted with the means to supply what comes from God Who is the Source. The Bible says, “Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above . . He never changes or casts shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NLT.

Let’s be practical; you can’t give something that you don’t have. You have nothing to give except what you are given. Out of what you receive from God, usually through others, you are provided the means to share as God’s supply to others, as He directs. You plant in another’s life as someone planted into yours, and God honors such gifts with added increase.

Jesus promised, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” Luke 6:38 NIV. Generosity continues a cycle of multiplication and harvest in your life, while beginning a cycle of blessing and giving in other lives.

My prayer for you is to have more than enough, and share that generously with others.

Devotionals abundant life, cycle, cycle of blessing, enough, family, generosity, Grace, greatest joy, liberality, modest means, Mom, overflowing, peace, Power, Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT, Psalm 23:5, sharing

“Take My yoke upon you and . . you will find rest for your soul.” Matthew 11:29 NIV

“Life is better when invested in the eternal, not wasted in the temporary.”

My thoughts today are about “life lessons.”

Doing life God’s way will work. Your own way? Not so much! Read today’s verse again, slowly and thoughtfully. Does this seem a little strange to anyone but me? Jesus promises people the deepest kind of rest – “rest for your soul.” And just how would He accomplish that? By inviting them to work alongside Him. Work will bring you rest? Really? That contradicted everything they had ever experienced. Work was often exhausting for them, as it could be for you.

Make no mistake. When Jesus used the word, “yoke,” His listeners knew that He was talking about work. Their daily lives were agricultural. Their livelihood and lives depended upon the soil and the sea; they ate and bartered with what they could raise or catch. Neither was an easy task; both involved long, tedious, hard work. A fisherman’s net or a farmer’s yoke were the same – similar symbols of strenuous effort, physical weariness, and sometimes after all that, still with disappointing results. Exactly who was He was talking to? “All who are tired from carrying heavy loads.” Matthew 11:28 NLT.

Here’s Jesus’ secret for them and invitation to you, “Learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart . . My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV. You thought you knew how to make life work on your own, didn’t you? But the labor and cumulating burdens finally catch up with you; that’s when Jesus says, “Learn from Me.” Here’s what Jesus can teach you.

(1) Do what you know is pleasing to God. Learn from Jesus’ example: “I always do what pleases the Father.” John 8:29 NIV. Jesus lived without anxiety, uncertainty; frustration, or stress, fear of failure. Imagine the confidence with which Jesus lived. Trying to serve God without learning what pleases Him is needlessly exhausting. Read Colossians 1:10-11 NIV.

(2) Do what God is doing; that is sure to please Him. “Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and tells Him everything He is doing . . the very work that the Father has given Me to finish . . I am doing.” John 5:19-20/36 NLT/NIV. Life is better when invested in what is eternal, not wasted in the temporary.

(3) Do nothing without God’s power and anointing. “The Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing.” John 5:19 NLT. Why live without including a great God? I cannot imagine anything worse than coming to the end of life, and realizing too late that so many years were wasted that could have been invested in what matters? Why waste a precious life busy about anything that doesn’t really matter to God? Such people are sadly described as “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7 NKJV.

My prayer for you today is that you have a contentment in life that is soul deep.

Devotionals anointing, eternal, learning, life-lessons, Matthew 11:28-30, Power, soul, temporary

“Be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 NKJV

“You will do better, be better, and live better when you live by the power of the Spirit.”

My thoughts today are about “your minimum daily requirement.”

So you’re a Christ-follower; shouldn’t everyday life be getting easier? Shouldn’t you be further along than you are? Shouldn’t you be winning new battles instead of fighting so many of the same ones as in the past? Salvation did not solve all of your problems – just the eternal destiny one!

Remember when you finally realized that you could not save yourself by your good works. Yet it is disarmingly easy to still assume that now you can take it from here. You can no more live the Christian life on your own best behavior now than you could save yourself then.

You know what the problem is? Your new faith did not erase your old nature. See Ephesians 2:1-5 NIV. You remain vulnerable to the relentless pull of desires incompatible with your confession and spiritual convictions. And when that happens, feelings of guilt return and doubts cloud your confidence about salvation. You thought that battle was in the past, didn’t you?

Here’s the good news! “Walk in the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Galatians 5:16 NAS. I would suggest to you that you cannot consistently and successfully walk in the power of the Spirit unless and until you realize that you have been filled with the Spirit. God Himself dwells within you by His Spirit to save you from your old nature, much the same as He redeemed you from your sin by Jesus Christ. See Galatians 2:20 NIV.

I have heard this wonderful progression of spiritual life and growth explained this way. At salvation, you were saved from the penalty of sin. In the ongoing process of sanctification, you are being saved from the power of sin. And in eternity you will be saved from the presence of sin. The old nature will then be eradicated forever; never again will you contend with its inclination toward sin.

There is both an indwelling and an infilling of the Spirit. The indwelling is constant and occurs when the Spirit baptizes you into the Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13 NKJV. The infilling occurs at your invitation – anywhere, any time, every time – as Jesus baptizes you with His Spirit. The Bible says, “because the days are evil . . be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:16/18 NAS. The Greek word that is translated “filled” does not refer so much to a quantity of something, but instead describes influence – as when a boat’s sails are so filled with the wind that it moves under the direction and influence of that wind.

“When the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us . . “Galatians 5:22 NLT. You need to live full of the Spirit; He gives you power you need: to forgive, to be patient in trials, to be loving when mistreated, to trust and obey, to break habits – to live for God as your heart desires to do.

The infilling of the Spirit will not give you more of the Spirit than you already have as a child of God; your invitation to the Spirit is your yielding more of yourself to live within His authority and influence for righteousness. See Galatians 5:24-25 NIV. That’s how you are to live everyday, in and by the power and influence of the Spirit of God. That’s your minimum daily requirement.

My prayer for you is to know the power of God’s Spirit every moment.

Devotionals best behavior, Christian life, Holy Spirit, influence, Power, walk in the Spirit