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.
Observations:
The summer after I graduated from high school, I worked at a Young Life camp in Colorado. It was one of the most challenging summers of my life but also the one where I grew the most. I spent the majority of each day serving other people in the humble position of "tawashie" which basically means changing bedding, vacuuming floors, mopping, cleaning bathrooms, and generally keeping the cabins from stinking while the campers are out having the time of their lives. There were three things that I experienced in a way I never had before while I was on that mountaintop:
- Coffee- As I look back now through the lens of a mother, I realize I didn't know what tired was when I was 18. But nonetheless, I thought I was exhausted because that was literally the first time in my life I didn't consistently get 8 or 9 hours of sleep. So each morning I would roll out of bed, walk down the hill to the kitchen, fill up my mug with coffee (and two packets of French Vanilla creamer), and sit on the side of the mountain with Jesus.
- Sin- Maybe it was because I was in a place where I had lots of time to reflect while working or maybe it was because, for the first time, I was starting to make decisions that would profoundly impact the rest of my life… but that summer I came face to face with the reality of sin. Before that, I had the fluffy, disconnected idea about sin… everyone sins… humans are broken… Jesus died for everyone's sin. But sitting on top of a picnic table and looking out on a huge mountain one morning, I realized that I was sinful… That I had done things that I could never take back… That I had broken God's heart.
- Grace- My friend, Jill, had sent me to camp with a jar full of little slips of paper. Each morning, I was to pull out one piece of paper from the jar and read the Bible verse that was written on it. (Sidebar: FpStudents, Jill was exactly that kind of friend we talked about last night. You need to find you a Jill.) A few days after that morning on the picnic table where I confronted the reality of my sin, I pulled out 2 Corinthians 12:9- "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."
The promise of this one verse in 2 Corinthians is revealed in layers as I think about in light of the Exodus promises.
- Salvation- "My grace is enough to save you. My blood covered your sin. Forever."
- Deliverance- "My grace is enough to set you free from that sin that continues to enslave you. My power shows up in full force when you're at rock bottom."
- Redemption- "My grace is enough that you don't have to stay in guilt anymore. You are freely forgiven and fully empowered to move on from your past."
- Fulfillment- "My grace is what makes every day worthwhile. Let me work in you. You don't have to spin your wheels anymore trying to be enough. My power is enough. My grace is enough."
Application:
Rest in grace. Stop trying to be enough. Stop doubting his power in the form of trying to do it on your own. Stop questioning whether I am who he says I am. I just really needed to re-confront this truth that the Lord spoke to me 12 years ago in order to prepare my heart to drink deeply from the four cups during this series.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, your grace is enough! You are all-powerful! And I know you can display your power in me when I stop wrestling you for the power. So God help me to rest in your grace. Help me to know I am enough because of the blood of Jesus. Let me find my confidence in you. In Jesus' name! Amen!
Confident In This…
Miranda
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