Sept 20, 2013
God’s grace among the thorn in the flesh
2 Cor 12:1-10, v. 9
It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord: 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 how he was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5 Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. 6 For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.
The Thorn in the Flesh
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The Grace of God defined:
The Greek word for grace is caris. Its basic idea is simply “non-meritorious or unearned favor, an unearned gift, a favor or blessings bestowed as a gift, freely and never as merit for work performed.” (taken from the article Grace and Peace)
Grace is “that which God does for mankind through His Son, which mankind cannot earn, does not deserve, and will never merit.” (taken from the article Grace and Peace)
Paul talks about the thorn in the flesh. What is the thorn in the flesh? It can be a number of things. The thorn in the flesh is the strongman, the troubles, the trials and tribulations, the disrespect for other people, the arrogance, the physical suffering, the abnormality, the disturbances, and the irritation.
The purpose of the thorn in the flesh is to deal with pain, trouble and suffering. The thorn in the flesh is the situations that we face daily, the temptations, the attacks, the test of faith, and the sin issues. The thorns in the flesh is used to reveal God’s plan and purpose. Paul’s thorns could be demonic activities and permitted by God to keep him humble so he won’t be puffed up by the revelations that he was receiving. (Miyagi)
God gives us grace for many reasons. One of the reasons is to accomplish His will. Our weakness, our trials and tribulations and our strength comes from the grace of God. Our strength in ourselves is relying on self instead of trusting in God. We are foolish to think that we can take care of our own problems without God. We must trust in the Christ to call out for help to get victory over every challenge from the devil, his demons, the flesh, the lust of it and the world system. As long as we call out to Christ moment by moment, God will bestow His heavenly strength upon us. His grace is His strength, power, and authority. The operation of God’s grace is the Christ in you. (Miyagi)
We are to see virtue in our weakness because in our weakness, we see HIs grace. We will see God’s glory who overturns our negative situations which is the valley of death. So the grace that is bestowed upon us is God’s strength. God’s grace is all sufficient to help us with our daily lives, carrying out the mission of our lives, enduring the suffering and the thorn in the flesh. (Miyagi)
In Paul’s case, the thorn in the flesh kept him humble and it will do the same for us. The thorn in the flesh will also strengthen our faith, test our faith, teach us how to fight, to trust in the Lord and to build confidence in Him. It will help us to gain deeper understanding regarding the ways of God. (Miyagi)
Romans 8:28
New King James Version (NKJV)
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
The thorns in the flesh, our weakness, and even our shortcomings are all part of God’s plan in working for the good. So when we face challenges, God will release and bestow heavenly power and authority which is His grace. It will manifest within us and we will see God’s glory through His grace. When we learn how to apply God’s grace to every situation, we will master what it means to be the stronger man in Christ. How we fight the strongman is by calling on God’s grace. (Miyagi)
In our situation, we have a thorn in the flesh. It is someone we are regularly in association with. This person is manipulative and wicked. This person calls himself a believer but his ways are clearly of the devil. (Miyagi)
We had to learn to call upon God’s grace, which is divine love, wisdom, power and authority to come and supersede and override the works of this strongman. We need not react nor respond to this person anymore. God showed us to just live in peace. We no longer need to yield to this person’s manipulative ways nor meet his unrealistic expectation. God showed us how to be the head and not the tail. We shall have headship over this strongman. And with God’s grace, He will spoil this strongman. God uses testings in our lives to teach us purity and strengthens us. (Miyagi)
Conclusion:
If your life is without troubles or hardships, you probably will never see the glory of God at work. But if you are facing some difficult situations in your life, and you have relied on God’s grace to overcome it, you will surely see God’s glory come shining through. His grace is sufficient for us and His strength is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9, NKJV) So the next time you find yourself facing a difficult situation, praise the Lord!.
Poem:
When you find yourself in a situation
that you feel is too tough to take
And you have nowhere to turn
And you make mistakes upon mistakes
And you try everything you know
to solve the problems you face
But you are getting increasingly tired
for it seems like an endless race
Please know that it’s not the end
For God’s grace is sufficient for you
He will help you fight the evil,
the trials and the tribulations too
So trust in the Word of God
and not in your self-sufficiency
Be sure to cry out to Him all the more
and be ready for the victory
Byword: The more we face trials and tribulation with God’s grace, the more we will see God’s glory.
Work Cited
Miyagi, Miyagi’s Commentary, The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship, Makaha, HI, 2013
Aldwin and Wendy Naruse
The Body of Christ Jesus Fellowship
Makaha, HI USA
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