Pastor’s Corner: “His Strength > Your Weakness”
2 Corinthians 3:1-6 (NLT) – Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 2 The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. 4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
Paul never claimed he was capable of accomplishing all that God called him to do. He simply learned to look beyond his own inadequacy to the sufficiency of Christ. If we’ll adopt the same practice, we, too, can discover the blessings hidden in our own experiences of inadequacy.
Our insufficiency drives us to God. When we realize a situation is bigger than we can handle, we’re quick to open the Bible and diligently pray for guidance and power. Inadequacy relieves us of the burden of self-effort and self-reliance. The Lord has us right where He wants us–at the end of our rope with nothing left to give. Inability motivates reliance on divine power. We’ll never be adequate until we draw from the Holy Spirit’s inexhaustible strength. He does in and through us what God never intended that we do on our own.
By using weak, inadequate people, God demonstrates what great things He can do. He actually delights in choosing unlikely individuals to carry out His purposes. There’s no limit to what He can do through someone willing to give Him full control. Inadequacy challenges our faith. Paul says, “Our adequacy is from God” (v. 5). Those who focus on the reliability of this promise and step out in obedience will grow in faith. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) – 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.
“I can’t.” With those words, we often dismiss our responsibility to do something God wants us to do. Look at Jeremiah. God had prepared him to be “a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). Yet when he heard of God’s plans, he immediately objected, “I cannot speak, for I am a youth” (v.6). It is not clear how old Jeremiah was, but it didn’t matter to God. He didn’t accept his objections. Instead, the Lord provided what Jeremiah would need to succeed: His enablement (v.7), His presence (v.8), and the words to speak (v.9).
Why go through all the fear, pressure, and frustration that accompany feelings of inadequacy when there’s an alternative? Let the Lord make you adequate: rely upon Him and allow Christ to live in and through you. He will replace your anxiety with a quiet spirit of contentment. Listen to God. What is He calling you to do for Him? Does it sound too hard? That’s impossible! If God has a job for you, it’s not you who will be doing it—He will be working through you.
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton