His Grace is Sufficient
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:9Devotional Series: Before Honor, Humility
Teaching: Before Honor...Humility pt. 6 (SUN_AM 2023-10-15) by Pastor Star R Scott
Here we are being called to humility, being called to greatness. Do you want to be great in the kingdom? “Do My Word and teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2); amen? Do you want to be great in the kingdom of God? Then be as this little child and stop being independent and self-sufficient. Many of us pride ourselves in trying to not ever receive help. In being able to just rest in the great promises of God and in the presence of God in our life and in the promises of God. We quote it so often. He works all things “together for good to them that love” Him (Romans 8:28); amen? That recognizes God’s eternal purpose for our lives and places us in the body as it pleases Him, praise God. He uses whatever methods He wants to prepare us to fulfill His will in that placement. There has to be a refining. We haven’t arrived, we’re not there yet. We need a greater unifying in the body of Christ, a greater unifying in this community of believers. What a great job God has done in our midst, but we haven’t arrived yet; have we? I know, we as a community, are not perfect because I know God’s still working in me. Now maybe I’m holding everybody back but possibly some of you need a little work on humility.
A true humility believes that God will meet “all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Our God, who said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and everything that you need, shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). But instead of accepting that promise of God, with humbleness of heart, with trust and reliance in Him, we choose the wisdom of the world, become friends of the world, and seek and follow after “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). And we look to be big in other’s eyes. Tragically, how many will miss the final statement that we say we’re laboring for, to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23) and sell that for the cheapness of the praises of men?
He’s calling us into that humility and Paul, as he starts his journey with the Lord, the first thing the Lord gives him is a thorn of trials. How readily do you accept the reproof, the chastisement, the instruction of those that God has put in your life here intwining us together as Ephesians says? How open are you? Do you seek? How readily do you seek counsel? I made a comment yesterday in the meeting. I said, “The reason so many of us don’t receive counsel or look for instruction is because you think nobody else here is spiritual enough to speak to you.”
Paul, through that thorn in the flesh, sought the Lord three times to deliver him from this. We don’t need deliverance; we need more grace. Because God spoke to him and said, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We don’t know exactly what it was. We know in his dealing with the Galatians that there was a despising from some of his outward appearance, of his manner of ministering. Some say that Paul stuttered. Others have put all kinds of things off on him, that he had some kind of an eye disease that would cause his eyes to constantly be running with pus and different things and how uncomely that was. We don’t know what it was that was wrong with him. But God works something in him that would not allow natural man to desire him.
A true humility believes that God will meet “all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Our God, who said, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and everything that you need, shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). But instead of accepting that promise of God, with humbleness of heart, with trust and reliance in Him, we choose the wisdom of the world, become friends of the world, and seek and follow after “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). And we look to be big in other’s eyes. Tragically, how many will miss the final statement that we say we’re laboring for, to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23) and sell that for the cheapness of the praises of men?
He’s calling us into that humility and Paul, as he starts his journey with the Lord, the first thing the Lord gives him is a thorn of trials. How readily do you accept the reproof, the chastisement, the instruction of those that God has put in your life here intwining us together as Ephesians says? How open are you? Do you seek? How readily do you seek counsel? I made a comment yesterday in the meeting. I said, “The reason so many of us don’t receive counsel or look for instruction is because you think nobody else here is spiritual enough to speak to you.”
Paul, through that thorn in the flesh, sought the Lord three times to deliver him from this. We don’t need deliverance; we need more grace. Because God spoke to him and said, “My grace is sufficient for thee” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We don’t know exactly what it was. We know in his dealing with the Galatians that there was a despising from some of his outward appearance, of his manner of ministering. Some say that Paul stuttered. Others have put all kinds of things off on him, that he had some kind of an eye disease that would cause his eyes to constantly be running with pus and different things and how uncomely that was. We don’t know what it was that was wrong with him. But God works something in him that would not allow natural man to desire him.