My Weakness, His Strength
Background:
Paul wrote 2 Corinthians as more of a personal letter to the Corinthian church, openly sharing some of the struggles he was experiencing. He goes into detail about the ways in which he suffered for the sake of the Gospel; yet, rather than using his platform to boast about how he persevered in the midst of his trials, Paul admitted his vulnerabilities with fellow believers and used his experiences to point them to Jesus. Despite the hardships Paul was dealing with, he used his circumstances to continue boasting about the goodness of God, pointing fellow believers to the power of the Holy Spirit amidst sufferings. Ultimately, Paul points to God’s grace in adversities and illustrates how the Lord uses our weaknesses for His glory.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
Initial Thoughts:
Note some of words Paul uses to describe God
What attributes of God in this passage stand out to you? Why?
What do you learn about God’s grace, hope, and deliverance in difficult situations?
Now read 2 Corinthians 12:6 -10
What does God tell us to do in response to our weaknesses?
What does it look like to boast in our weaknesses?
What from this passage makes you give thanks and praise to God?
Who is someone in your life that you could share this good news with today?
What is one action or application step you can take in faith this week?
In Summary:
It’s easy to try and manufacture our own strength especially when we don’t want to acknowledge our weaknesses. However, God reveals that our brokenness reinforces out need for a Savior as our trials pave a way for us to grow in relationship with the Lord. Through Paul’s example, we are reminded that we will face trials and hardships but there is a purpose in our sufferings. If we didn’t have weaknesses and difficulties, we wouldn’t need God, further showing God’s desire that we would rely on Him and His promised grace for strength rather than relying on our own limited resources and power.
By Emily Hills
MSU Class of 2021, Case Hall