It’s great to have
you back again for more Daily Bread. In our last chapter, Paul shared with
us a list of persecutions that he endured in his ministry. Clearly, this was
something that he didn’t want to write about, but in his position as the
Apostle of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, with his identity in question, he
must have felt it was necessary. You can feel his reluctance in his words,
almost apologetically admitting the foolishness of his “bragging” about his
qualifications. For a person like Paul who is bold for the Lord, yet humble
in his self, you’ve just got to know that deep down, he wasn’t comfortable
doing this, although, as he has said before, he’ll do what he has to do to
win souls for the Lord.
Now he continues on, from a different
direction:
It isn’t advantageous for me, no doubt, to be prideful.
I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
I knew a man in Christ more than fourteen years ago,
(whether in the body, I do not know;
or whether out of the body,
I do not know: God knows;)
such an one taken up to the third heaven.
And I knew such a man,
(whether in the body, or out of the body,
I do not know: God knows;)
How that he was taken up into Paradise,
and heard unspeakable words,
which it is not permitted for a man to speak.
Of this man will I glory:
yet of myself I will not glory,
except in my weaknesses.
For even though I would like to glory,
I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth:
but now I refrain,
so that nobody thinks more highly of me
than what he sees me to be,
or that he hears from me.
And so that I wouldn’t be overly exalted (lifted up)
through the abundance (graciousness, generosity) of the
revelations,
I was given a thorn in the flesh,
the messenger of Satan to bruise me,
for fear that I should be honored above measure.
You may have read or heard different
stories about what this “thorn” in the flesh was that Paul was given, and
whether it was psoriasis or leprosy or even acne, it doesn’t matter, but
what matters is this: What “thorns” do we have of our own? What fleshly
imperfections do we have that we absolutely despise, that we should look at
differently? Why aren’t we perfect? Because then we would feel like we
didn’t need God. If you had no weaknesses, then He couldn’t work through
you. It’s His perfection that we should glorify, not our own and our
weaknesses that we should cherish, as Paul explains:
Because of this thing I prayed to the Lord three times,
that it might depart from me.
And he said to me,
Most gladly then, I instead take pride in my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in weakness,
in shame, in necessities, in persecutions,
and in distresses for Christ's sake:
because when I am weak, then I am strong.
I have become a fool in praising myself;
but you have forced me:
because I should have been found worthy by you,
for in nothing am I the least bit inferior
to the very chiefest Apostles,
though I am nothing.
Truly I performed the signs of an Apostle among you
in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.
How were you inferior to other churches,
unless it was that I myself was not costly to you?
Forgive me this wrong.
Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you;
and I will not be costly to you:
for I seek not yours (your belongings) but you:
for the children shouldn’t provide for the parents,
but the parents for the children.
And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you;
and though the more abundantly I love you,
the less I am loved.
But be that as it may, I did not burden you:
nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile.
Did I take any advantage of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
I requested Titus, and with him I sent a brother.
Did Titus take any advantage of you?
Didn’t we walk in the same spirit?
Didn’t we walk in the same steps?
Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves (apologize) to you?
We speak before God in Christ:
but we do all things, dearly beloved, for your betterment.
For I fear, that when I visit you,
I shall not find you as I hope,
and that you shall not find me as you hope:
that there will be debates, jealousy, anger, conflicts,
slander, whisperings, swellings, violence:
And that, when I come again,
my God will humble me among you,
and that I shall be sorrowful for many which have sinned
already,
and have not repented of the uncleanness
and fornication and lasciviousness which they have
committed.
Once again, I
remind you that Paul is speaking to those who hadn’t repented in Corinth,
not the entire church. Lot’s of good lessons about weakness hidden in Paul’s
words if you go back and search them out. They’re different for everyone.
Maybe you’re a leader and you feel like you have weaknesses that annoy you.
What if these weaknesses are intentionally given to you because someone else
has been blessed with strength (in that area) so that the body of Christ can
co-operate and nobody feels like they’re left out? Your thorn is somebody
else’s rose, and vice versa.
Well,
there’s only one chapter left in this great letter from Paul to study, as we
steadily make our way through the New Testament, so come on back soon and
we’ll take a look at the conclusion of Paul’s letter, right here at Daily
Bread.
