God’s Sufficient Grace – 2 Corinthians 12

Joy: You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #161.  Today we’ll read 2 Corinthians chapter 12 together.  Paul speaks of God’s sufficient grace and speaks of his concern for the Corinthians.

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together.  Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should.  It’s just easier to do it with a friend.  So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud.  I’m so glad you’re here!

Welcome

My cousin, Stanley, passed away.  My family has now experienced the awkward process of burying a loved one in this season of Covid constraints.  Stanley was a great guy, and his son grieved that the literal hundreds of friends and family who would have attended to show their respects had to helplessly watch a livestream on Facebook. But watch they did.

I was humbled by being able to help with the ceremony that bid goodbye to my kind and good-humored cousin.   We have the assurance that he is now in the presence of the Lord which makes it much easier for me to embrace some of the things that touch my heart during these observances. 

Front and center was reconnecting with this part of my family.  You see, my great-grandparents on my mom’s mom side had 13 kids.  Suffice it to say I will never run out of cousins while breathing air on this earth.  But this particular group of cousins are some of my favorites.  They are kind and welcoming and generous and real.  Some of them I hadn’t seen in years…since we were all kids.  Or least a lot younger than we are now.  Heck, Stanley’s son has kids that are older than he was the last time I saw him.  My cousin, Lois, is exactly the opposite of me.  She is so good at reaching out, at never allowing the busy-ness of life to infringe on the importance of relationships.  I need to be more like her. 

Drop In

My heart was full to see them all and I was somehow proud to be part of this family.  It made me feel abundantly blessed at the recognition that I am related to such nice people; to be counted among them.  There is new resolve that I more often need to grab my sister and drop in on these cousins unannounced and uninvited and be drenched again in the goodness God has for us.  I praise Him that I am so very fortunate. 

Do you have family that you feel this way about?  Do you, like me, need to commit to dropping by a little more often?  I would love to hear your stories at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

2 CORINTHIANS 12

Sufficient Grace

Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. I know that this man — whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know; God knows —  was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a human being is not allowed to speak. I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses.

For if I want to boast, I wouldn’t be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.”

Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Signs of an Apostle

I have been a fool; you forced it on me. You ought to have commended me, since I am not in any way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. The signs of an apostle were performed with unfailing endurance among you, including signs and wonders and miracles. So in what way are you worse off than the other churches, except that I personally did not burden you? Forgive me for this wrong!

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

Look, I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, since I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children ought not save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? Now granted, I did not burden you; yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit! Did I take advantage of you by any of those I sent you? I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus didn’t take advantage of you, did he? Didn’t we walk in the same spirit and in the same footsteps?

Have you been thinking all along that we were defending ourselves to you? No, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up. For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and you may not find me to be what you want. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, angry outbursts, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. I fear that when I come my God will again humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality they practiced.

Closing Thoughts

I think I’ll let you do your own study on the guy who was caught up into the third heaven and move onto Paul’s thorn in the flesh. 

As I’ve said before, you don’t have to read many of Paul’s letters before you come away thinking that this guy was mega-smart.  Like genius-doesn’t-really-fit-in-with-the-rest-of-us smart.  I would go so far as to speculate that before Paul came to Christ, he may have been pretty hard to live with.  He no-doubt may have had a penchant for being condescending, prideful, bossy, controlling, and had perhaps a whole host of other character defects.  I mean, it’s hard not to be a smarty-pants when you’re so, well, smart.  And it’s tricky for the Holy Spirit to cultivate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control amidst the soil of all those other un-godly qualities. 

When We Are Weak, We Are Strong

God had called Paul to an enormously difficult task and Paul couldn’t really afford the distraction of pride and hubris.  So, in order to help Paul be humble, God gave him what he calls a thorn in the flesh.  Now, when you go combing thru your commentaries, you’re gonna find that most everyone thinks Paul had poor eyesight.  But I’m gonna go out on a limb here.  Understand, I have absolutely no proof or corroboration for this, but for decades, I have had the feeling that Paul’s thorn was spiritual in nature.  I’ve just always thought that whatever he was plagued with was something that he struggled deeply with; something that brought shame. 

We all have those things in our past that we wish were not there.  Old sins, hateful words, seasons of wandering away from God, that we regret.  And instead of removing the temptation to return to those things or perhaps heal us from something if it is physical, God points us to Christ and His grace.  My grace is sufficient for you.   For a moment, that feels nice and we want to hang onto that, but in the real day to day, it’s oh-so-much harder. 

We have a tendency for returning to the swamp and rolling around in it.  We don’t trust that His grace is dependable.  We insist sometimes that we need to do something; to add to what is being offered.  It literally drives us to that final realization that we can’t do this.  We are weak, we are helpless, and we must rely on His grace and His strength.  Only then is it true that when we are weak, we are strong.  Let’s pray. 

Prayer

Father God, please give us Your eyes to see our thorns.  The thorns that usually we’ve created but that You are going to leave in place so that we must rely on you.  We thank You, Lord, for Your faithfulness because we so often have to take repeated runs at Your Grace before we trust it.  Help us to understand so that we can share it clearly with others.  This world needs to know about Your grace, Father.  Amen.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here.  In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort.  Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us.  If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you right here tomorrow.  Be well!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.