Strength in Weakness

Strength in weakness
The apostle Paul writes,
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.  
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it 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 12:7-10 
When I read this passage I am reminded of the rich man that came to Jesus as recorded in Matthew’s gospel. Matthew records,
“Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” 
“Which ones?” the man inquired. Jesus replied, “ ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’’” 
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.” Matthew 19:16-22.
The young man in this situation put more faith in his wealth than in God. That is not what God wants.
The point here is that we should be putting our faith entirely in God not in our wealth or our own strength.
Now there is nothing wrong with being strong and wealthy. However we should not put our trust in them. Our wealth can vanish in an instant. Our strength can do the same.
The prophet Isaiah states,

“A voice says, “Cry out.” 

And I said, “What shall I cry?” 

“All men are like grass, 

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

because the breath of the LORD blows on them. 

Surely the people are grass. 

The grass withers and the flowers fall, 

but the word of our God stands forever.” 

                                                  Isaiah 40:6-8

It should be immaterial to our faith whether we have wealth and strength. We should never boast about these things. We need to believe the words Christ spoken to the apostle Paul when he said,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 
If we must boast we should be boasting about Jesus and all He has done for us.
Please think about it.

All Flesh is Grass

All flesh is Grass

The other day I photographed a wrecked sailing ship. I have no idea what it’s name is. I have no idea what it carried or where it sailed when it was new all I know is it is now a wreck.
This ship in its day could have carried passengers to various places around the world. It could have carried valuable cargo. It could have had a very illustrious career. But people seeing it will never know. All they will see is a wreck. Stripped of it’s shinny new coats of paint it had when it was new. It’s beauty faded and gone forever. Seemingly with no purpose.
I got to thinking that people can be like that wreck.
Former Secretary of State James Baker once said, "Someone asked me what was the most important thing I had learned since being in Washington. I replied that it was the fact that temporal power is fleeting." Baker went on to observe that once driving through the White House gates he saw a man walking alone on Pennsylvania Avenue and recognized him as having been Secretary of State in a previous administration. "There he was alone - no reporters, no security, no adoring public, no trappings of power. Just one solitary man alone with his thoughts. And that mental picture continually serves to remind me of the impermanence of power and the impermanence of place."
Isaiah the prophet wrote,
“A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” 
“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 
The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:6-8.
No matter who we are or how much power we have in this life, it is all gone upon our death.
The writer of Ecclesiastes tells us,
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty  of man. 
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.
The apostle Paul said to the Athenians,
“Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.  
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you. 
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.  
God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.  
‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 
“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by man’s design and skill.  
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Acts 17:22-32.
Are you ready to stand before God?
Please think about it.