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Weekly Devotional

July 6, 2009

God’s Peace be with you all.

2 Corinthians 12:6-11  ⁶ But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me,  ⁷ even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated.  ⁸ Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me,  ⁹ but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  ¹⁰ Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.  ¹¹ I have been a fool! You forced me to it. Indeed you should have been the ones commending me, for I am not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing.

I had several people ask me about the 2^nd lesson from yesterday.  It was one that had some confusing things about it, which makes it harder to understand.  One of things you might have noticed was Paul’s explanation of a thorn in his side.  Some scholars say that Paul had some sort of physical ailment that kept him from living a pain free life.  What exactly that ailment is, we don’t know.  Perhaps it had something to do with one of his internal organs, but scholars are not sure as Paul does not expound on it.

Another explanation of his thorn has to do with the “Super Apostles” that he mentions.  Perhaps the thorn was indeed these people, along with the Corinthians, who chose to constantly turn their backs on God.  Paul prayed that they would see the grace of God, but yet we know from his letters that he still had to deal with the things that they did wrong.  Corinth was a city that boasted of many different gods … combine that with “super apostles” and who knows what you will get.  Whatever it is, it cannot be good.  So perhaps Paul’s thorn was simply the daily frustration that he had with the church that had been established there, and their lack of obedience to God.

I am sure that if we look at our lives we too at some point have had a “thorn” in our side.  Whether that thorn is physical or mental isn’t really the point.  Like Paul, the ailment was not the point.  Instead, the point was that no matter what, God’s grace was sufficient for him.  This is what Paul bragged about and boasted about all the more.  Jesus Christ suffered the ultimate death, the ultimate sign of weakness.  Paul saw this as a strength that kept him going, and it is a strength that still keeps the church going today. 

In our prayers this week: 

Ann, Doris, Mary Netta, Jane, Norm, Irene, Joseph, the Varners, Michael (serving in Iraq), Kalab, Evelyn's daughter Sandy, St. John’s Lutheran Church.

God's Peace,

Pastor Judson