#2 corinthians 12:10

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Our Daily Homily

by F.B. Meyer

Devotional for December 23rd

"When I am weak, then am I strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:10

We need not discuss the nature of Paul’s thorn in the flesh. It is enough that he calls it "a stake," as though he had been impaled. It must have, therefore, been very painful. It must also have been physical, because he could not have prayed thrice for the removal of a moral taint, and been refused. It came from Satan, permitted by God, as in the case of Job, to buffet his servant. It is not unlikely that be suffered from weak eyes, or some distressing form of ophthalmia; hence the eagerness of the Galatian converts to give him their eyes (see Galatians 4:15).

God does not take away our thorns, but He communicates sufficient grace. He always answers prayer, though not as we expect. Let the music of these tender words soar unto thee, poor sufferer! "My grace is sufficient even for thee." Sufficient when friends forsake, and foes pursue; sufficient to make thee strong against an infuriated crowd and a tyran nical judge; sufficient for excessive physical exertion and spiritual conflict; sufficient to enable thee to do as much work, and even more, than if health and vigour were not impaired, because the very weakness of our nature is the chosen condition under which God will manifest the strength of his.

Do not sit down before that mistaken marriage, that uncongenial business, that physical weakness, as though thy life must be a failure; but take in large reinforcements of that Divine grace which is given to the weak and to those who have no might. It is clear that Paul had reached such a condition, that it was a matter of deep congratulation to him to be deficient in much that men hold dear, and to have what most men dread. He rejoiced in all that diminished creature-might and strengthened his hold on God.

[tiand]

For Christ's Sake (2 Corinthians 12:10)

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV

[martyschoenleber]

How God Destroys Oppression

The Story of Ben Lay  The story of Ben Lay is one of those forgotten stories that imperils the nation. It is the story of how God destroys oppression. It is the story of the weak confounding the strong. It is the story that Mary tells in the magnificat and anticipates as the ultimate end of all evil and corruption (Luke1:51-53). It is how Jesus triumphed over the corruptions of both the religious…

[tom4jc]

March 26, 2023 Verse Of The Day

[missrosemaris-stuff]

March. 26. 2023

“That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

[geminiagentgreen]

May I be made to inspire and teach my son to read through his future bible with the desire that I long didn't have, for how long have these radiant treasures of verses been unknown to me in my foolishness?

I have dreaded Godly sorrow lately like I have dreaded worldly sorrow - to be avoided, that there must be another way - but Paul here speaking to the church in Corinth is also speaking to the lame like me: he did not speak so as to harm, he did not speak to bully or to cause lasting wounds. His letter was to, and accomplished, turning the people to repentance. I'm now thinking of Psalm 30:5,

"For his anger lasts only a moment,

    but his favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping may stay for the night,

    but rejoicing comes in the morning"

The sorrow that they experienced was for their benefit, and it's not to be the whole of their lives for in Christ there is joy and no more weeping, peace and no more pain.

And what's more, how Paul expresses that he had regret for hurting them. I don't point this out because I think Paul was in any wrong for being harsh, but that he wasn't harsh for the sake of being mean but for love. No one who loves wants to cause pain, but in doing what he had to do and that the Lord saved these people, his regret had been replaced with joy: "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11).

Now I'm not excited to go out and experience sorrow for the fun of it, but I pray that we would have our eyes opened to our sins, our hearts brought to repentance, and that we would not fear the recieving of any discipline and rebuke but properly fear with respect any discipline and rebuke - harsh as they might be. May the good Lord watch over His children, and may we be made more and more into the likeness of Christ.

Amen.

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Verses:

2 Corinthians 7:8-10

Psalm 30:5

Hebrews 12:11

[drshermaines-wisdomnuggets]

"THERE'S DANGER IN TWISTING SCRIPTURE!"

Deuteronomy 4:2, “Now listen, Israel, listen carefully to the rules and regulations that I am teaching you to follow so that you may live and enter and take possession of the land that God, the God-of-Your-Fathers, is giving to you. DON’T ADD A WORD TO WHAT I COMMAND YOU, AND DON’T REMOVE A WORD FROM IT. Keep the commands of God, your God, that I am commanding you.” (MSG) Ecclesiastes 3:14-15,…

[doulafaith]

Harmony

“He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.” Psalm 40:3 I am sure many of us have witnessed two distinct ways of singing a song and playing an instrument; and one appears to be more of a gift or an acquired gift than the other. There is the soloist and musician who studies the notes and practices methodically until the…

[oillampslit]

10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. James 3:10-12 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table and of the table of devils. 1 Corinthians 10:21 14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. 2 Corinthians 6:14-17

Throughout the entire Bible we hear of the warnings and consequences of trying to be on the side of the world and the side of God. How come we so often mix our words with blessings and cursings? How can we claim to be of the light if we talk like those who are in darkness? As it is said in James can a fountain send forth sweet and bitter water at the same place or a fig tree bear olive berries? We have been told and the truth will set us free and here we have it. Let us put away all cursings and become a fountain of blessings.

Prayer

Father we thank you for your truth. We know how foolish and stubborn we can be and we thank you for your patience. You have warned us many times about being a partaker of both sides and we are deeply sorry for all the times we have not listened to you. We turn from cursings to blessings and ask to help us stay on your path. Thank you Father. Praise be thy name, Amen.

[honeysurge]

Yo. No one can take you from Gods hand or separate you from His love. We got life through Him. He loves you, and I do too. I hear Him saying “rest in my promises” because someone out there needed to hear that.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Those Who Commend Themselves

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense. — 2 Corinthians 10:12 | New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition (NRSVUE) New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Proverbs 27:2; 2 Corinthians 3:1; 2 Corinthians 10:11; 2 Corinthians 10:18

[tiand]

For When I Am Weak, Then I Am Strong (2 Corinthians 12:10)

[gospelborn]

The Lord Looks on the Heart (1 Sam 16)

The following is an unedited sermon manuscript; for an explanation of my sermon manuscripts, click here. Imagine your life like a marathon (2 Tim 4:7). You know that what lies ahead of you will be difficult, but worth it, so you prepare. As a Christian, you could allegorize all sorts of images here. Perhaps proper breathing is your prayer life, and good running shoes are your feet shod with the…

[so-journeying]

Introduction: Redemptive Reversals

This book is about the notion GOD deals with humans in primarily ironic ways. The Bible is a record of how GOD has so dealt with humans. There are two kinds of biblical or theological irony.

[1] There is retributive irony: Where GOD punishes people by the very means of their own sin. We will see this in CH 1&2.

[2] There is also redemptive irony: Where the faithful appear to be cursed, but as they persevere in faith, they are really in the midst of being blessed. We will see this in CH3-6

Warren Austin Gage formulated these kinds of theological irony.

Both kinds of theological ironies are true of humans in general. Everyone is ultimately caught in the matrix of one of these two ironic patterns of living. Christians need to be aware of the ironic nature of life in order that they not become discouraged at bad events in their lives. In fact, we will see that the ironic nature of Christian living is necessary in order that faith be given opportunity to grow.

This book explains how Scripture depicts these two kinds of irony in the lives of people. And how these two ironies reach their zenith points in:

[a] Satan, through retributive irony & [b] CHRIST, through redemptive irony.

I must talk briefly about the various kinds of literary ironies. At its core, “irony is saying one thing & meaning another.”

All ironies are composed of three basic elements:

[1] Multiple layers of meaning, one to the observer + one to the victim.

[2] One opposite meaning to another layer, what is apparent is the opposite of what is reality.

[3] Either the observer or victim is unaware of this tension or surprised by it

Generally, three kinds of ironies have traditionally been recognized in literary studies.

[1] Verbal irony, which is saying one thing & meaning its opposite. Verbal statement is aimed at a particular person.

[2] Dramatic irony or irony of narrated events, where narrated events are turned to the opposite of the way they appeared to be heading.

[3] Character irony, part of dramatic irony, where one’s true character stands in contrast with what he appears to be.

Luke’s narrative of the rejection of the Gospel by the Jews is saturated with irony. In particular, the rejection of JESUS is

[a] mirrored by the depiction in Acts, where every effort to stand against GOD’s plan only fulfills it in every prophetic detail

(e.g., see Acts 2:23 and 13:27).

In Luke, the rejection of JESUS by the Jews is the catalyst for HIS redeeming death, whereas in Acts the persecution of the Church becomes the catalyst for saving evangelism.

Luke also develops the principle that “some are last who will be first & some are first who will be last” [Luke 13:30]

These programmatic ironies run throughout Luke-Acts. Thus, some of the highest forms of biblical irony are where there is narrated an “unexpected reversal of fate and fortune,”

which is “the jolting turn of events” wherein “the mighty are brought low & humble exalted.”

In John 19 the Roman soldiers mock a bleeding JESUS by saying their “Hail to the King!” The soldiers do not believe JESUS is any kind of King, and they intend their sarcastic words to be a direct attack on JESUS, WHOM they believe is an imposter.

A reader perceives that the “lower” level of the mocking is false, whereas the irony becomes apparent at the “higher” level, where it is evident that the soldiers are the real victims of their own mocking, as they're crucifying the ONE WHO is, in fact, the true divine KING of the Universe. [John 19:1-3]

Another example of this kind of irony is Paul’s claim in 2 Corinthians 12:10: “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

So now we turn to the substance of the book.

[re4med]

Daily Prayer for September 12, 2024: 2 Corinthians 12:10

Prayer: Grant, almighty God, a sense of your kindness and grace to your redeemed people today. Grant, we plead with you for extra protection for your church. You are the Good Shepherd of the sheep, and you stand watch over us day and night. You are not a God who slumbers or sleeps. You are not a God who grows weary at the affairs of men. You are our Father who gave us the Lord Jesus Christ, the…

[thinkingonscripture]

The Spiritual Gift of Teaching

The New Testament references the gift of teaching in several passages (Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:28; Eph 4:11). This gift involves the ability to clearly explain and communicate biblical truths so that others can understand and apply them. A teacher, in the biblical sense, is responsible for instructing others in the doctrines of the faith, helping believers grow in their knowledge of God and in their…