Truly the Grace of God is Amazing : to have saved a wretch like me. This passage in 2 Cor.12:9 is very meaning to me. I have prayed for this in many situations. God's strength is made perfect in my weakness : My Lord Jesus has proved it time and again. Thank God for faith and that I have a copy of His Word. I am truly Blessed to be a child of God.The Grace of God teaches me to deny ungodliness. Titus 2:11-13. Praise God !!!
A sign of those that would preach the Gospel, teach others, be a servant in the Kingdom of God...indeed takes Patience, a characteristic indeed and foremost of the spiritual servant.
The more you develope the servant demeanor and you cultivate a heart of love for the brethren, you will experience much rejection. People will run from you.
Thank God that His grace is sufficient for every trial that comes our way. Even though Paul prayed three times for God to remove the thorn in the flesh, Jesus assured him that My grace is sufficient for thee. Most gladly will I boast in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may be upon me. God gets the glory when we praise Him through the storms of life. It is only then do we experience the grace of God to continue on to finish the race that God has given us, looking unto Jesus the Author, and finisher of our faith.
Vividly,we are limited beings.After the fall of man in the garden of Eden,man only lives by the grace of God.By grace we are saved,by grace we are restored into fellowship and peace with God through the blood of His son on the cross at Calvary.Grace suffices us.Not our works.
In my understanding the Apostle Paul was faithful in his calling of the Lord so much so that He sort the Lord with all his might and soul. This brought him to visions and understandings so wonderful that they could not be uttered without having to be boastful, so I feel the LORD as usual will have to capture our attention in order to accomplish His purposes in and through us . Thus a reminder from Satan that this is Not HEAVEN needed to be used in order to keep the Blessed Paul humble before God Almighty. I'm sure this happens to all of us who truly seek God with all our hearts souls and minds. For Our God is an Awesome GOD !
no Paul was not talking about his Self he was talking about the angle that he saw at the time he was in the spirit such a one caught up to the third heaven.
My grace is sufficient for you. I have heard that grace is divine enablement. Paul says; It is only by the grace of God, that I am what I am. It was Satan and his messenger that didn't want Paul and the abundance of revelations to be exhauled. I feel that the Lord was reminding Paul that he was already enabled to overcome the enemy's thorns, as Paul also implies in 2 Cor. 10:4; Our weapons are mighy through God to the pulling down of strong holds...Being in Christ, we are not to submit to the hindrances of Satan.
What was Paul's thorn in the flesh. I have heard many things. Let scripture interpret scripture. Let’s hear it from Paul own words. A MESSENGER FROM SATAN TO BUFFET ME. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. By the way, Paul calls these light afflictions.
Paul was talking about himself, but he used this phrase “I knew a man in Christ”, so Paul did not know if he was in the body or in spirit he did not know. But no, flesh cannot go to heaven, so I think he was in the spirit and he should get a thorn in the flesh to be humble and not boast.
It’s very normal to meet challenges up, but they should constantly remind us that we are chosen and unique united in the body of Christ. And we should never be afraid to call on His name.
The easy way out of trouble is to force worship so that the power of God may manifest on our situation. The Lord dwelleth at the praises of His people. You can't rest in the presence of God and still be in trouble. Just rejoice always Philippians 4:4.
GOD’s grace, HIS mercies are good enough for me. GOD loves me through it all. Where I am weak that is when God is the strongest. There is nothing too hard for God. I can do nothing without HIM.
If you are born again you are sealed by The Holy Spirit! If you are unstable you are not sealed! If you are a true child of God, you will always be saved! If you are a fake you will be found out and were never saved to begin with!
What a joy to me and a blessing to know that the Grace of Christ keeps me free of yeilding to insults. No negative feelings have a place in me anymore. Thanks be to God that I am free.
Pauls ministry which Jesus himself set out for him was no cake walk. Obviously. But he took it upon himself all the while disdaining glory for himself, or even a living for himself, for he earned his living as a tentmaker. He was such a one who could be granted visions ofthe heavenly world, as he had been granted the vision of Jesus Christ, but he would work in this world, where sinners dwell, in order to succor and edify, to build churches, teach diciples and do this work Jesus had set down for him. His work was to teach that salvation came to earth in Jesus, and our salvation is acuated by faith in Jesus. God is the keeper of souls. No man can save his own soul, or keep it alive for that matter.
~WOW!!! That comforts me and helps me to look at things differently...to not let my feelings get so hurt when someone is cruel to me or to not get so offended, because God's strength is made perfect in my weakness!! Glory be to God!!!~
After reading some of the comments on this chapter I feel I must respond. If you are a true blood bought Christian, you will not do whatever you want to do because the Holy Spirit will speak to you when you are about to get yourself in trouble by listening to this old flesh. And if we do, the Bible teaches us that we have an advocate with the father. Paul said himself that he must crucify his flesh daily. It's amazing to me how so many people will take one verse of scripture and take it out of context. If they would just stop and look at this ludicris doctrine of saved today and lost tommorrow, they would realize how they have been misled. Do they actually believe that we have to get saved by grace but we have to live under the Law to get to Heaven? If we were capable of living under the Law why are we now living by Grace and why did our wonderful Savior have to come and die such a horrible death on that old rugged Cross?
Paul says the thorn was from Satan. One of Satans tricks is to blame the good Lord for the evils that he himself hinders God's kingdom with. In 2 Cor. 10:4, Paul declares "The weapons of our warfare...are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds. God has given believers the necessary weapons through Jesus. I feel that too often we still cry to Him to do what He has enabled us to do "in His Name".
THORN IN THE FLESH WE ARRE ALL BUT HUMAN AND WE ALL HAVE PAINS AND SORROW. I PRAISE GOD THAT HE IS WITH ME. IF I JUST HAVE GOTTEN SAVED AND HAD NO PAIN, NO SORROW THEN, I WOULD NOT HAD KNOWN JESUS COULD HELP ME. THERE IS A MOVMENT THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR YEARS. THIS MOVMENT BELIEVES THAT ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED AND THAT YOU CAN DO WHAT EVER YOU WANT AND STILL STAY IN GOD'S GOOD GRACES DON'T BELIEVE THAT IT IS A LIE FROM HELL!!!!! USE PAUL'S EXAMPLE !!!!
"Thorn in the flesh" - a difficulty from Satan in Paul's flesh (human side) not his spirit, the purpose; to hinder Paul's God-given exaltation "through the abundance of revelations. It seems to be God's way to exalt his messengers. Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you ( 1 Peter 5:6). He that shall humble himself shall be exalted ( Matt. 23:12). Satan didn't want this. Paul besought the Lord that it might depart from him. God reminded Paul that he already had God's grace (enablement) sufficiently, to deal with the satanic hindrance. Parents encourage a youngster, learning to walk and crying to be carried, Come! you can do it.
very encouraging to know that what we go through is that God can work on us and through us. Some think that weaknesses are from the devil but here God tells us that through our weaknesses he can show himself mighty in our lives. He says when you have done all you know to do, then he will step in and accomplish that which we cant. Another good point is that through our storms and our weaknesses he keeps us praying and depending o him.
2nd Cor. 12:9 really helped me today. I thank God for His word. I've been stressing out with my test coming up and i've been feeling scared preparing for this test for months and I have 2 more days before my big test and I saw this scripture and what a relief, God touched my heart once again and I claim this victory, I will pass in Jesus Name. Amen
Mary Craig There is always HOPE. 2 TIMOTHY 2:15
STUDY TO SHEW(SHOW) THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, A WORKMAN THAT NEEDTH NOT TO BE ASHAMED, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH. If you have not done so, get your self in a good BIBLE based church. Like that verse said, you read THE WORD for yourself as well.
Mary Craig THERE IS HOPE! We have an awesome God that made sure we had hope by sending His beloved son Jesus to die in our place giving us that BLESSED HOPE! We must simply believe that HE DID pay for all of our sin, and hopelessness. Victoriously conquering death for us pouring out His blood for us, being buried and then rising from the dead. If you are saved, then get yourself into a good Bible preaching church. I know this from experience...I couldn't understand the bible for the life of me before I asked Jesus into my heart. Then I did, and miraculously enough His light started to illuminate the words little by little. Now it is as living and breathing as my own body. My best advise is don't get discouraged. It is a blessing that you want to know and understand it. I think its safe to say that understanding God's Word is a prayer that would be answered! KEEP PRAYING, GOD BLESS!
I can't tell you how much I enjoy the way the books are broke down and explained. I no longer have a study bible so I enjoy reading on line every day. This chapter is so awesome on how to stay humble. How to keep prayerful at all times. How God is our strength when we are weak! This chapter is so much of a blessing to me!
STUDY TO SHEW(SHOW) THYSELF APPROVED UNTO GOD, A WORKMAN THAT NEEDTH NOT TO BE ASHAMED, RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH. If you have not done so, get your self in a good BIBLE based church. Like that verse said, you read THE WORD for yourself as well.