2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
We just recently completed the month of March, which, for those who love sports, is nicknamed “March Madness.” Why? Well, it’s the college basketball playoff toward a national championship. Sixty-six teams across the USA are chosen from all sizes of universities, and they compete in a three-weekend tournament. There is both a men’s and women’s tournament; in each, the winner moves on to the next game, and the loser goes home (unlike in the professional leagues, where is it is the best of 7 games). It is called March Madness because there are games played all over the country and they all count!
AND—it is madness because there are always surprises. There are those fun occasions when the little unknown school knocks off the big, well-known, well-funded university. Case in point: this year St. Peter’s, a small, unknown Jesuit college in Pennsylvania, was an extremely low-ranked school and yet went all the way to what is called the “Elite Eight” round in the tournament before finally getting beat by North Carolina. They were the Cinderella team in the tournament this year.
When we read in 2 Corinthians 12:10, “For when I am weak, then I am strong,” we often think this is sort of a Cinderella story for followers of Christ—as though we are the underdogs, and God is saying to us, “Hang in there! Be strong! You can do it!” But this famous verse is NOT a Cinderella story for those who follow Christ. This is a Great Commission verse for those who live the “Martus” life in His Church Body—commissioning believers to live under his overwhelming grace, surrendering our lives unconditionally so that HE can be displayed.
Preparing for Sunday
As you prepare for this Sunday and the teaching, I challenge you to read…
Focus in on these verses:
We are in our final weeks of studying the year-long series, Building His Church. We are hearing from God in his Word how to be commissioned people even in our weaknesses.
See you Sunday morning at 10 a.m.!
