 |
| Saint Paul (not a Klingon) |
(Audio)
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.
This is counterintuitive to say the least. We tend to try to present ourselves in the best light possible. We are reluctant to show any weakness. Weakness shown to others can be interpreted as neediness. We can seem to be high maintenance or hard to be around. Yet this isn't Paul's point. He boasts of his own weakness only in order to make the point that Christ's power is what sustains him.
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me (see Second Corinthians 12:9).
The reason we don't know how to boast about our weakness without just seeming like we are whining is because we don't yet know how to rely on Christ in times of hardship. We know how to ask Jesus to change our circumstances. Yet when the circumstances don't change, are we do we still abide with Christ? We can experience strength in spite of circumstance. We can learn to say, "when I am weak, then I am strong."
Another way to talk about finding our strength in Christ is when Jesus tells us to store up treasures in heaven. Such treasure can not be impacted by even the hardest circumstances, neither moth, decay, nor thief. It is, in fact, what Paul is seeking by putting Jesus and his concern for the Church first in his heart.
And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me
of my anxiety for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak?
Who is led to sin, and I am not indignant?
We need to focus our gaze on what matters most. In Jesus we have everlasting treasure and strength for every challenge. But we need to keep our gaze fixed upon him and not look away to the waves of circumstance.
The lamp of the body is the eye.
If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light
No comments:
Post a Comment