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The Blessing of Weakness

   You would not think of weakness as a condition of blessing. We would say .. blessedness is strength, in fact “blessed are the strong” But the Bible’s beatitudes are the reverse of nature would actually say .. “Blessed are those who mourn” .. “ Blessed are the meek”. The law of the cross lies deep in spiritual life. It is by the crucifying of the flesh that the spirit grows into beauty . . .
Matthew 5:3/9 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers”
Psalm 28:7 “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me”

   Weakness is blessed because it ensures to us more of the sympathy and help of Christ. Weakness can appeal to the gentle of heart. We see illustrations of this truth in our common human-nature. What can be more weak & helpless that of blindness? Here is a blind child in a house. Her condition seems *pitiable, she gropes around in darkness, and she can’t shield herself from anything that threatens her. Windows through which others see the World, to her are closed, so she is shut up in total darkness. She, is, almost utter helpless. Yet her weakness is in actual fact her strength.

* What does pitiable mean:~ deserving or exciting pity : lamentable. pitiable victims. : of a kind to evoke mingled pity and contempt especially because of inadequacy. a pitiable excuse.

   It draws to itself the best love & help of the whole house hold. The mothers heart has no such tender thought for any of the other children as for the blind girl. The Father carries her continually in His affection, and is ever doing gentle things for her. Hers & sisters strive in all ways to supply her lack. The result is that no other member of the family is sheltered so softly as she is, and that none is so strong. Her very helplessness is her strength, her closed eyes and out stretched hands and tottering feet resistlessly to all who love her, inspiring them to thought and help, as do the strength and winning grace of no other one in the household.
[NKJ] Psalm 121:8 “The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in”
[NIV] “The Lord will watch over your coming and going”
[NLT] “The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go”
… nearly all versions agree, and say . .
[NLT] “Both now and forever”

   This illustrates also the special divine thought and care for the weak. All the best things in human life are but hints of the divine life. The heart of Christ goes out in peculiar interest toward the weak. Paul could afford to keep his ‘thorn’ with it’s burdening weakness because it made him far more object of divine sympathy and help. We think of suffering or feebleness as a misfortune. It is not altogether so, however, it makes us more humble and nearer to the heart of Christ. Blessed is weakness, for it draws to itself the strength of God.
   Weakness is blessed also, because it saves from spiritual peril. St Paul tells us that his ‘thorn’ was given to him to keep him humble. Without it he would have been exalted overmuch, and would have lost his spirituality. It is not clear how much of his deep insight into things of God and his power in service for his master, Paul owed to this torturing ‘thorn’. It seemed to hinder him, and caused him incessant suffering, but it detained him in the valley of humility, and made him ever conscious of his own weakness and insufficiency, and thus kept him near to Christ whose home is with the humble.

Q:~ “What is keeping you humble and nearer to Christ?”

[NLT] 1 Colossians 1:24 “ I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church”
   Spiritual history is full of similar cases. Many of God’s servants have carried ‘thorns’ in their flesh for days, but mean while they would never have had their if cries for relief would have been granted, we don’t know the suffering of those who have gone before us. Prosperity no tenrictied the World as adversity has done. The best thoughts the richest life lessons, the sweet songs that have come down to us from the past, have not come from lives have known no lack & no adversary, but instead are the fruit of pain ~ of weakness ~ of trials. Man has called out for emancipation from the bondage of hardship, of self-denying necessity not knowing that the thing that which seemed to be hindering them in their career was the very making of whatever was noble ~ beautiful ~ blessed in their life.
[NLT] 2 Timothy 4:1&2 “In the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favourable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching”

   There very few of us who don’t have some ‘thorn’ sticking in their flesh. In some it’s an infirmity of sight . .

• in another infirmity of hearing.
• or, it may some lameness,
• a debilitating disease that is slow but incurable,
• or, it may be in ones home, which is cold ~ unloving ~ uncongenial
• or, may be a bitter personal disappointment through untrue friendship or love unrequited. .

… so I ask again ‘Who does not have a thorn??

   We should never forget that in one sense our ‘thorn’ is a member of satans army. Who desires it, to hurt our lives, to mar our peace, to spoil the divine beauty in us to break our communion with Christ. On the other hand, however, Christ Himself has a loving design in our own ‘thorn’. He want it to be a blessing for us instead. He would have it keep us humble, to save from becoming Vain, or He means it to soften our hearts and make us more gentle. He would have the uncongenial things in our environment discipline us into Heavenly mindedness, giving us greater self control, helping us to keep our hearts loving and sweet amid harshness & un-lovingness. He would have our pain teach us endurance & patience and our sorrow & loss teach us Faith.

   What we should be mindful of is, that our ‘thorn’ is either ~ be a blessing to us, or ~ it could well do us irreparable harm, it’s really down to us.. If we allow it to fret/worry us, if we chafe ~ resist or complain, if we loose faith and loose heart it will spoil everything. Instead if we take in the faith, that in it’s ugly burden it has the chance of being a blessing. We need to endure it submissively, we can seek out the grace, keeping our heart gentle and true amid all the trials ~ temptations & sufferings. It all will work out for the good, it’s bitterness will turn into sweet fruit. The responsibility is ours, and we should relate ourselves to our ‘thorn’ and to Christ, that growth and good, that will come to us from it. Such weakness is blessed only we have victory over it through the faith in Christ. Remember, there is a blessing in weakness, as it can nourish our dependence on God.
Psalm 25:1/3 “O Lord, I give my life to you. 2 I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced, or let my enemies rejoice in my defeat. 3 No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others”
Psalm 25:V4-7  “Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in, you. 6 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love, which you have shown from long ages past. 7 Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth. Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord”
Psalm 25: V15-21 “My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.16 Turn to me and have mercy, for I am alone and in deep distress. 17 My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! 18 Feel my pain and see my trouble. Forgive all my sins.19 See how many enemies I have and how viciously they hate me! 20 Protect me! Rescue my life from them! Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge. 21 May integrity and honesty protect me, for I put my hope in you”

   When we are strong, or deem ourselves to be strong, when we are really weak, since then we trust ourselves and don’t seek divine help. But, when we are consciously weak, knowing unequal to our duties & struggles, we are strong, because then we turn to God and get His strength .. “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” [2 Corinthians 12:9] .. To many think their weakness as a barrier to their usefulness, or make it an excuse for doing little with their life. Instead of this, however, if we give to Christ He will transform our weaknesses into strength. He says His strength is made perfect in weakness, that is wanting in human strength, He fills up and makes up with divine strength. Paul learnt this when he said he was gloried now in his weakness, because on an account of the strength of Christ rested upon him, so that when he was weak, he was then made strong. .
.. examples :~
[NIV] Acts 16:25 “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them”
[NIV] Acts 14:19 “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead”

# Strength is not only measured in physical prowess #

   We need only to make sure of one thing, that we do indeed bring our weaknesses to Christ and lean on Him in simple faith. This is the vital link in getting the blessings. Weakness itself is a burden, it is invisible chains upon our limbs. If we try to carry it alone we shall only fail. But if we lay it on the strong Son of God, and let Him carry us and our burden, going on quietly and firmly in the way of duty, He will make our very weakness into strength. You must understand this, that He will not take away our weakness from us, that is not His promise, rather He will so fill it with His own power that we shall be made strong, more conquerors, able to do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Philippians 4:13 “ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
   It’s a blessed secret, this of our having our burdening weakness transformed into strength. It can learned only in Christ, but in Him it can be learned by every lowly trusting disciple.



Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father we come humbly before your throne through your Son Christ Jesus, in faith believing, that we boast in no power, but we do boast that if was not for you we can do nothing. But instead through everything is possible. Our weaknesses are turned to strength. No longer the conqured, rather the conquerors. May we never forget rather shout from the roof tops that Christ is for us. In those dark times when feeling weak & down may we remember that your strength is made whole in us. In Jesus name we pray with thanks giving, Amen

Coming next week

The Blessing

of

Weakness 

He's not on his Knees yet

2 Corinthians 6:2   “ . . In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. . "

Q . . "What of the multitude who have heard, but not believed, to whom the word of this salvation has come, but rejected it?"

   There are some men who have some kind of faith, and these are perhaps in a more dangerous place than those who have none at all. Because they opt to deceive themselves, and fancy that are in a state of grace. Where as really they are in a state of nurture.  Sadly a man only believes that which affect's his own life.
   

Prayer  "God grant that we may each one of us possess this real 'God given' blessing"

   With out faith you are with out God, with out faith you are with out hope, for a true hope can only spring out of 'true faith'. When you are with out faith in Christ, consequently you are with out a Savior, and with out the means of removal of sin, with out a help with which to fight daily the battle of life against sin. So with out faith we are indeed spiritually naked, poor and miserable lost and condemned, with out hope of escape.

   He who has missed this faith has missed the vital point. Had he begun with that, his amiability: his mortality: his benevolence: had been acceptable because in them there would have been the flower of life. The faith that makes them live, but with out this, they are cold & soul less, indeed a mere carcass of virtue void of life.
   
Paul said of love . .
1 Cor 13 v3  ". . And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.. . ."

Q "If a man prays to God, in whom from his own stand point dose not exist, has he not then engaged in an senseless exercise?

• Do you not believe in flexible justice?
• Do you believe in infinite mercey?
• Do you believe in an Omniscience that can not fail to see?
• Do you believe in the Omni-presence that can never failto be where you are?
• . . . Do you believe all this???

   Because if not you do not believe in God. You may believe in your own idea of God, but you do not really believe in God. If you would come to God, you must believe in ALL that he say's He is. In His Word, He reveals as one God, that He is The Father, The Son & The Holy Spirit. Will you accept his statements about Himself? Then will you pray, will you cease delivering an oration to the air. Instead speak into His ear, believing that every word you utter, also believe that He is reading the thoughts that lye at the back of your words??    We should believe that, that if you preach the gospel God must bless you; that it is not a may-be or a mere possiblity that He will, but that if you deliver His message in the full convictiuon that somebody or other is going to get a blessing, there will be a blessing for someone. Very often just in proportion to our faith, it is done unto us.

   Without faith it would be be impossible to please God by the way you talk. Lets put plenty of faith into all we do. . .

• If I have no troubles where is there room for faith?
• How can I trust when I have nothing to trust?

. . You cannot swim in water only up to your ankles, you may go paddling about, but no swimming. But plunge into deep water, strike out like a mad man until you have faith that you will not sink but swim.

   I have heard of this doctor who was severe in his method of treating his patients, but he healed a great many of them. Then cam a man who had a bad leg.  "Well", said the doctor, "I will adopt such-and -such a course with that leg, and I will restore the use to you, so that you shall go away from this place perfectly whole". He told the patient what he was going to do, but the man said "NO, I could not bear to have that done. I shall have to go to someone else". "Just so" said the doctor, "you are not bad enough for me treat you yet. When you get bad enough for me, you will come back". Then say "do what you like to me so long as you gaurentee my retoration". There is many a soul that is not, in the sence, bad enough for Jesus Christ yet. That is to say he thinks he is too good to need to be saved in Christs way. I heard a well known story of a swimmer who went to rescue a man who was drowning. The man was sinking and the spectaters wondered why he did not strike out at once and lay hold of the man drowning. He swam near him, but kept clear of him, letting him go down a second time, and third, after that he swam to him and brought him to shore. Someone then asked "why did you let him sink?". To that he replied "He was to strong for me at first, whilst he was to strong he would have pulled me down with himself, so I let him sink and loose all strength, then I could rescue him". In like manner, some of you will have to go down for a second & third time before you get weak enough to be saved. It is not your strength that qualifies you it's your weakness, it is not your righteousness, it is your sin that qualifies you for Christ. So stop sinking and start living for Christ.

    
   That is the way to seak Him, to come to Him. We must come to Him as the one Living God, to have a real exsistance a true personality. Other wise we can't come to Him. God bestows upon us His Favour, His Grace and blessings of His covenant, as a gracious reward, NOT because of our merit, but because of the merit of His Son, Jesus christ. This we must believe or we have not really come to God.

NKJ . . Heb 10 v23  " . . Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. . "The Message " . . Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. . "

   No matter how we dress it up the lesson is clear, you must keep your faith in Him, even nudge Him to remind Him. It's not that God forgets, we have to remember "everything works to Gods time, not ours. Reminding Him just shows we are living in His accordance and have kept faith by praising Him, in the good times and the bad