Thursday, November 12, 2015

No pain, no gain...

 I am living these verses for the last while:

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it (the thorn in the flesh) away from me. 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. 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” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

 St. Paul and I have a similar problem: not all of our prayers get answered. If St. Paul was apparently unable to move heave to his side, who am I?

Unanswered prayers for deliverance is an opportunity for God to show up. If the irritant is removed, I and St. Paul will never learn the power of God in our lives. With St. Paul, I am learning that God’s power will only be realized in my weaknesses.

Spiritual growth is the fruit of spiritual struggles. No struggles; no growth. Followers of Jesus should want to mature in their faith, yet, many want maturity without the struggle. Invite the struggle and grow in the faith.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

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