“For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
Why all these problems?!
Jesus is not going to take away all of your problems. I know that probably sounds harsh, insensitive and untrue. But if you were to go below the surface of the many claims made of Christ today, you would find no Biblical depth whatsoever. Let’s face it: you have problems, I have problems, we all have problems. Whether we’re Christians or not, that fact is undeniable. What is also undeniable is that those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, both for the forgiveness of their sins and for a righteousness that is not their own, have experienced the power of sin over and in their lives being broken. Here is the great, yet often misunderstood distinction the Gospel makes clear for us: the weaknesses that we wrestle with in our lives and the suffering we endure in this broken world are not primarily what Jesus came to save us from; He came to save us from living in perpetual, habitual sin and from suffering eternally because of our sin. In 2 Corinthians 12:10, Paul asserts that he is content with weakness. This is a far cry from some today who preach a gospel of comfort, that Jesus came to take away our weaknesses and problems. Contrary to this, Paul preaches that when he is weakened by insults and hardships, sickness and despair, then he is strengthened by the grace of God. In other words, Paul understands that only when he is weak is he really, truly strong.
Why did Jesus die?
Paul is not saying that only when life is good and everybody loves you and you have everything you need, then you are strong. On the contrary! If such a scenario occurred in Paul’s life, he never wrote about it. Sure, there were times of plenty, but not indefinitely. And in those times of plenty, Paul did not preach with greater power and anointing, nor did he love or know Jesus more than he did when he experienced times of need. Why? Because Jesus is not more faithful in times of abundance than He is in times of famine. Jesus is not more loving in times of health than He is in times of sickness. Jesus is not more present in times of happiness than He is in times of depression. Jesus’ death saves us from an eternity separated from Him. Jesus’ death, therefore, secures for us a hope in this broken world, faith when weakness cripples and love when everything around us crashes to the ground. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, the grace that saves us eternally is the same grace that strengthens us daily.
The anxiety and anguish we know may never fully disappear from our hearts until we’re in the presence of Jesus. But we must believe that He carries our burdens and lifts us up. The sadness and despair that grips us may never completely let us go. But we must be convinced that, like Paul, though we pray and ask God to takes these and other things away from us, if He does not take them, there is one thing He promises to give and never take away: His grace (2 Cor. 12:8-9). His grace is sufficient, not only to strengthen us, but to empower us with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:19-20). When the world looks on a weakened church, we must not be ashamed and embarrassed as if we’d been abandoned by our God. Rather, we must boast in our weaknesses, so that the world may see the power and glory of Jesus. When we are weak we are actually strong.
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