Weak Yet Strong

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
–2  Corinthians 12:10b

It doesn’t make sense that being weak we’d be strong does it? No! Not unless we realize something important about God.

“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
–Acts 17:6

When Jesus came and walked on the earth He literally turned the world upside down! It was no longer about what we did or didn’t do. How we looked on the outside or how much knowledge we have. It became about what’s on the inside. The true condition of our hearts and minds (see Mathew 27-28).

To be honest what God is asking us to do is hard. Believe and trust in Someone we can’t see or hear, be in the world yet not of it, living to a higher standard based on a book that’s thousands of years old.

This seems pretty near impossible doesn’t it? But think again…Take a good look around you…really look. To believe that the organized, beautiful and ordered world that we see around us came from an explosion (something that brings death, chaos, and destruction) seems illogical doesn’t it?

When we take a look at literature people like Charles Dickens (author of the beloved Ebenezer Scrooge), Laura Ingalls Wilder and her stories of growing up on the wild prairie, J.R.R. Tolkein (The Lord of the Rings), or C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia). Each of these authors are no longer living. They died somewhere between 46 and 149 years ago. Yet their works are still being sold, debated, talked about and treasured. Why? Because that which is good and wholesome lasts through the ages. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean that it’s outdated and suddenly lost its value. In fact generally speaking the older something is the more valuable it becomes (antiques, anyone?)

The reason that when we are weak we have the opportunity to be made strong is because of the God that lives inside of us. The same power that enabled Jesus to resist temptation (Matthew 41-11), face an unfair and horribly cruel death on the cross, and rise from the dead (Matthew 26-28), LIVES INSIDE OF US (Romans 8:11). It is through HIS POWER working in us that helps us to resist temptation, love our enemies, and be our strength when we are weak (Ephesians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Matthew 5:43-47).

But with God, nothing is EVER impossible (Luke 1:37). I have a sign hanging just to the left of my desk that says “The difference between the impossible and the possible is in a person’s determination.” But what’s most interesting about this sign is that the letters IM are capitalized and underlined. I can’t help but be reminded of Exodus 3:14 “I AM WHO I AM”. He is all that we need, all that we’ve ever needed, He came to show us the way and now it’s our turn to trust His strength and walk in His steps (1 Peter 2:21) with the strength He provides.

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
–2 Corinthians 12:10b

Until next time,

Bailey Sue