Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
2 Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Paul had a thorn in the flesh.
It was a chronic problem that caused him to feel weak.
He asked the Lord three times to remove it, but the Lord did not remove it.
The Lord answered him instead with His grace and His strength.
When Paul realized that God was using an environment to put a demand upon his flesh that was beyond his natural strength, he completely changed his attitude toward his thorn in the flesh.
He said, “Most gladly I will rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
In other words, Paul was saying, “When I am weak, I allow my weakness to escort me to Christ!
It is in my weakness that He tabernacles over me and I draw from Him.
Instead of my weakness becoming a frustration to my experience of the Lord, it has become a path to lead me to the One who supplies me continuously with His grace.”
Paul learned this through his experience of the demands in his environment.
So none of us should allow any environments to embitter us.
Instead they should sweeten us, because they bring us so much God.
In all the demands, God is teaching us one lesson–“I do not want you to live by your own life anymore.
I am simply driving you out of yourself into Myself so that I can be your all in all!”
There are hundreds of hallelujahs within us as we appreciate the fact that all the demands in our lives are one escort after another, lined up, to lead us continuously to the all-sufficient Christ!
Until Tomorrow
With A Shepherd’s Love,
Pastor Jackson
WEDNESDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
NANCY PROUDFIT – Home
ROSE FULLER – Rehab
ED MAYS
Amy Garner
Amy Garner’s Mom & Dad
Andrew Halevi & Daughter
Ashely Burn’s Sisters
Brandon’s Dad
Coly/Connor – Allison’s G’sons
Dan Haines
Darlene Wiggins
David Burnette
David Harrison – Riverside
Deanna Fowler
Denise Hulsey – Jordan’s G’mother
Donnie Butler’s Dad
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Easton Fielder
Eric Ward
Erik Magnusson
Freddie May’s Mom
George & Linda Alexander
James Burnette
James Garner’s Friend
JERRY ROBERTS – Hospice
Jillian Gray
Jodi Bateman
John Austin
John McClain
June Cronan
June Cronan’s Sister
Kathy Mabe
Kim McClain’s Mother
Larry Barker
Lee Cronan
Lillanna Magnusson’s Mom
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Linda Hodges’ Sister
Lonzo Christin
Lori Blount’s Mother
Marlon Cook
Mary Sims
Marynell Ford
Maureen Brown
Michael Stanley
Pastor & Mrs. Driskell
Ricky Gipson
Ricky Stubbs
Roseleigh Osborn
Sandra Graham
Scott Lanier
Soso Nzolo – 17 Yr. Old South African Pastor’s Daughter
Susan & Alexis Tesone
Tom Witcher