“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/11/24/surprised-by-god-2/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

2 Corinthians 12:9… And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  (NKJV)

The Apostle Paul wrote the opening scripture…  God had apparently allowed Satan to give the Apostle Paul what he calls a thorn in his side…2 Corinthians 12:7…  Just like Job, God had used Satan to test the Apostle Paul… Job’s suffering (in the Book of Job in the Bible), was to prove to Satan that Job would never loose faith in God…  But the Apostle Paul’s thorn in his side, that scripture reveals was of Satan…was given to him by God, to keep him humble…

The Apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord 3 times to remove the thorn (verse 8); but the response from the Lord can be seen in the opening scripture…  The Apostle Paul’s response to the Lord’s not taking away Paul’s pain…was that the Apostle Paul would rather be able to boast about the grace God had given him, even with the pain…that with God’s grace came “the power of Christ”…the Holy Spirit…

A couple of thoughts come to mind, when I read this opening scripture…  An unredeemed sinner can never see that they are in need of the saving grace of the Lord (salvation), until they get to a point in their lives where they realize that in their own futile “weakness”…that no matter what they do in the way of works done in the name of the Lord, trying to have their sins forgiven…it will be impossible without God’s grace given to them…Matthew 7:21-23…

Sometimes unredeemed sinners must be brought to their knees through a devastating trial of life…before they hit bottom in “weakness”…and cry out to the Lord for His saving grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ to be made “perfect in weakness”…Ephesians 2:8-9… 

Here is a link for this most important days writing about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in His eyes, through obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… https://godsmanforever.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/gods-group-thoughts-for-10202012-gods-grace-through-obedience-to-the-gospel-of-christ/

The other thought that I am left with…is that God’s grace that He gives to all Christians, should be sufficient to help them get through any trials that life throws at them…  God’s grace = God’s strength with-in the Christian through the Holy Spirit…  The Apostle Paul reveals this, in…1 Corinthians 15:10… But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.  (NKJV)

Other scripture revealing that the Christian’s strength comes from the power of the Holy Spirit can be seen in…Philippians 4:13… I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  (NKJV)

Christians must always keep in mind, that it is God who gives them His grace, and supernatural strength through their life long live-in Helper, the Holy Spirit…John 14:26…   We as Christians must humbly look to the Lord for everything; never believing that we are the ones responsible for what happens in our lives… It is by God’s sovereign design, that everything in our lives happens, because God wants it that way…  And it is by God’s pure grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9), that He promises to provide for all the needs of His children… Jesus tells us this, in…

Matthew 6:33… But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  (NKJV)  …Jesus taught this at the very beginning of His public ministry, in His “Sermon on the Mount” teaching, in…Matthew chapters 5, 6, & 7…  I will again post the link to a 9 minute video from a movie about Jesus; where this down to earth (sometimes humorous) actor portraying Jesus, does a pretty good job expressing Jesus’ teaching…including this truth about seeking Christ first, from… Matthew 6:33…  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2QE4YmQV5fk#!

Once God has graced his redeemed children with salvation…they must step out of the way…putting their pride and all of their other self-centered thoughts aside…and allow God’s grace to freely flow with-in them through the power of the Holy Spirit…  Sins must be confessed and repented of (1 John 1:9), to be walking with the Lord as a Spirit filled Christian…  And this moment by moment walk with the Lord, will bring with it the ability to have supernatural peace, even through life’s most devastating trials (Philippians 4:6-7)…  A God given peace that will surpass any mortal understanding through God’s grace alone…

Heavenly Father, I pray that everyone could experience the gift of Your grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ, that the Apostle Paul had…  Your grace that will allow any Christian to be made perfect in total submission to You… I pray for this perfect peace for all of us, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills