Fearlessly Courageous
11/15/2022
Desk of Dennis Piller
Can I Boast in Every Weakness… And Take Joy in It?
How often do you see a person you know well go through cancer twice? A front-row seat… up close and personal. I can remember times of walking into Pastor Dale Brook's office and seeing him prepare a Sunday sermon. Always vulnerable, transparent, and impactful. He never brought to the Lord would cost him nothing, he studied and prepared the message and himself.
As we are walking through this journey with him it made me think of what his next message might look like. How could he make his struggle relevant to the rest of us? What was the message the Lord would have him share with each of us to help us in our own trials and our own storms?
2nd Corinthians 12: 9–10 “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong”.
To keep Paul from becoming proud because of the revelation he had been shown, he was also given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble. He first wanted it removed, and he asked God three times. God's answer was that the trial was a blessing. In the weakness and humiliation, it brought, the grace and strength of the Lord would become real. Paul immediately changed his view, and instead of simply enduring or asking for the thorn to be taken away, he took pleasure in it. I think you might say that he learned the humiliation of being out of control and unable to change your circumstances could also be a place of blessing, power, and yes even joy.
My wife’s brother Dean went through 15 years of lymphoma going in and out of remission and medication. I believe every Christian goes through the same two stages: We fear, pull back, and then ask for a way out. Exactly how hard is it to seek humility at any cost? Personally, how many times have I accepted the command to be humble, and wanted to obey, but failed?
In fact, if there was a way to take a poll and for people to really be honest, I wonder how many Christians ever pray for humility. Because I think every one of us secretly wishes to not go through anything that will make us humble. To not go through anything after praying and praying and praying and maybe even fasting and quietly hearing the message that Paul received.
“My grace is sufficient”. (2 Cor 12:6)
And immediately Paul changed his view, stopped asking for the thorn to be taken away, and took pleasure in knowing that God is sovereign, that he knows exactly what is going on and is drawing us closer in an ever-developing labyrinth of intimacy, comfort, and yes, even joy.
It is amazing that as we examine the life of Jesus we actually fall in love with his humility as the beauty of the Lamb of God… that he would give up everything to have it… Embrace it… He knew the pain and humiliation that he would endure and he knew the only way was for him to humble himself and give the glory to God.
Honestly, that has not become a spontaneous expression of my life. I do not catch myself saying: I am glad to boast in weakness,
and I am grateful for whatever humbles me.
Can we ever get there? I believe we can. Paul shows us we can.
What can get us there?
Just like Paul, “ A new revelation of Jesus”. You say I have already accepted him! Many of us can say that too. But we have only given to him what part we were willing to surrender and for me that hasn’t been all. Every day I am discovering a new way of being a better servant. A humbler image of Christ in me the hope of glory. And the fact that it is only He who can show and remove the self that just doesn’t want to die. The pride that thinks I can do this! Only Jesus can empower us to be glad about it, and accept every humiliation that will make us more like him.
So whatever your thorn or trial… however the depth and strength of it…let us learn from Paul’s example and testimony. To learn what it means to be nothing. To die, that Christ might live in us: To take pleasure in our trials. To become more like Christ, we must empty ourselves and take joy in our weakness so God can be our everything.
I pray you continue to pray for our Pastors battling Cancer and for those who need a touch from God.
Praise You In This Storm – Casting Crowns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoqbKyeKOBI
