We are going to be in the Psalms today. [Personally, I did not pick either of my children’s names from the Chronicles reading, but if you are looking for some unique names, there are lots of options here!]
I have been reading a book with my small group looking at the concept of how we are not like God, and how that is a good thing. There have been a variety of topics related to this, but one thing that has been a common theme is how we humans strive after some of God’s attributes, and that when we do so, we inevitably fall short, and often these shortcomings lead to issues when we think we should have been able to do it. And I think that is pride. We pride ourselves on being able to take care of ourselves, to know things, to understand things, to create things, to do X, Y, and Z, but we cannot do things to the extent that God does.
1b I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, […]
3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.
Instead, we can rely on God to lead those things that are too great for us, we can find rest and comfort in Him. We can be content and thankful of our limitations because we have an amazing Father with no limitations.
I actually wrote a devotion on this Psalm a couple of years ago, and it was interesting to see how my perspective has changed based on what I am going through, what other things I am reading, etc. Some of my thoughts are similar, but some are focused on another area. And that reminded me of another thing from the book – how because of God’s limitlessness, we always have more to learn about Him, from Him. We can keep reading through the Bible over and over and there is always more for us to glean, always room for us to grow closer to God. We need to view ourselves with humility to realize we aren’t done growing – there is always room for improvement.
And I think you balance that with contentedness of being ok with our place as limited humans while still trying to grow closer to our great God. We can be content while still seeking to become more Christ-like as Jesus was and is God’s reflection to us.
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
What are some of God’s amazing attributes that you enjoy and strive for in your own life?
Where have you seen your own growth: in learning about God, drawing closer to Him and emulating His attributes? How would you like to grow next? What can you do to help you with that growth?
What contentment do you find knowing you can rely on God to be God and you can’t and don’t have to? Enjoy relying on Him today!
If you’re ever looking for a prayer for any occasion, the book of Psalms is the place to go. In today’s reading, we explore Psalm 85, which features a heartfelt prayer for mercy by one of the sons of Korah. It begins by reminding God of His past mercies when He restored the fortunes of Jacob, and then pleads for His compassion: “Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?” (Psalm 85:5-6). The Psalmist continues, asking, “Show us your lovingkindness, O Lord, and grant us your salvation” (verse 7).
The writer then reaches a comforting conclusion: “I will hear what God the Lord will say… Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land… Righteousness will go before Him and will make His footsteps into a way.”
This prayer serves as a perfect guide for times of uncertainty. Think back to the last time you faced a tough situation or crisis, perhaps due to a mistake you deeply regretted. What should be your next step? Prayer, of course. Psalm 85 reminds us that we are at the mercy of God, which is something to rejoice in. God’s righteousness goes before Him, and His footsteps create a path for us to follow. Understanding this is truly beautiful.
In our other reading, Micah 6:8 tells us, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Here, we see three essential virtues: justice, mercy, and humility. When faced with tough decisions or the need to recover from mistakes, we know where to turn for guidance. God provides everything we need to know – right in the Bible.
-Samantha Stokes
Reflection questions:
When faced with times of uncertainty, where in the Bible do you turn for answers?
What can you do to ensure you are walking in the path God’s footsteps have made for you?
How can you incorporate the virtues of justice, kindness, and humility into your daily interactions and decisions?
We are all concerned with how we look to others on the outside, and that is a good thing. The outside is all the stuff people can see about us. It is how we physically look, the things we own, the words we say, our actions, our reputation, etc. It might sound a bit vain to be concerned about what others think about us, but it is ok to want to be accepted by others and you will have more influence with others if they like you and respect you. The inside is all our thoughts and desires, and others cannot hear our thoughts or know if we are being honest about our desires. We can hide our true thoughts and desires from those around us, although nothing is hidden from God. Which is more important? The way others see us on the outside or what we are thinking on the inside?
I think they are both important and we should be concerned about both. But what happens if we concentrate on only one or the other? In Matthew 23, Jesus talks about a group of people that were only concerned about the outside. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were overly concerned about what other people thought of them. They made their phylacteries (boxes containing scripture verses worn on their forehead and arm) wide and the tassels on their garments long for people to see. They loved places of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues. They loved to be greeted with respect and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others. They gave a tenth to God’s work, but they neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. They appeared to be righteous on the outside, but they were full of hypocrisy and wickedness on the inside. Jesus detested the way they lived because it was not honest, and they only did it to impress others. They were arrogant hypocrites, and that’s not a good look on the inside or outside.
Similarly, if we are ultra concerned about how our bodies look, the clothes we wear, the car we drive, the house we live in, etc., we are concentrating on the wrong things because we are trying too hard to impress others so we can feel good about ourselves. That is also not a good look reputation-wise because we are lacking humility. On the other hand, please brush your teeth, take a shower, and take care of your house and yard enough so others won’t think you don’t care.
So, what happens if you only concentrate on the inside? I love what Matthew 23:25-26 had to say about this. Jesus was ripping on the Pharisees and teachers of the law again by saying they clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. He goes on to tell them to first clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. That is brilliant! If you concentrate on your thoughts and desires on the inside that others can’t see, it will affect how you look on the outside to others. In other words, focus on the inside and the outside will take care of itself.
If you love God and love others on the inside, your words and actions will look beautiful to others because of your love for them and because you are not putting yourself first. Verse 12 says, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” It is important to look good on the outside and inside, but you need to focus on getting the inside right, not the outside. The better you look on the inside, the better you will look on the outside as well. You will be a truly humble and loving person, rather than an arrogant hypocrite.
Reflection Questions:
Should we be concerned about what others think about us? Why or why not?
What are some practical steps we can take to “work on our insides”?
Who is the greatest? The GOAT (is that still a thing)? This is what the disciples come to Jesus asking at the beginning of Matthew 18.
Jesus doesn’t answer them directly, per usual. Their question isn’t even worth answering. It doesn’t matter who is the greatest. That comes with the wrong focus. Instead Jesus tells them:
3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Your position is not important. Rather, not viewing yourself as the greatest will put yourself in a better, more humble position.
There are several parables in this chapter, and I think you could probably tie them all to humility in some way, but I want to look at the last section. It starts with:
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]
That is going to require humility. When someone sins against us, we probably feel we are in the right to be angry or to hold a grudge. After all, they sinned against me. But Jesus’ instructions don’t allow for this kind of pride. Instead, we are to go on forgiving our fellow Christians time and time again, swallowing our pride, pushing it aside, for the sake of forgiveness.
We might think this is unfair, but through the parable Jesus tells of the unmerciful servant, we can see that God forgives us so much! For us to accept God’s forgiveness for our own sins, but to hold another’s sins against them is prideful. It is saying that you deserve forgiveness more than them, or that your sins weren’t as great.
Instead, Jesus wants us to humble ourselves, to admit that we are just as low, or even lower, than others and offer the grace to others that we have been given.
Humility is a topic that has come up often in my discussions and readings the last few months. It is hard – it is against our human nature. But I really believe it is one of the most important things for us to focus on. And likely, it isn’t a one-time thing. We need to constantly be reminded and refocus on humility to make sure that pridefulness doesn’t seep into our lives, because pride does come naturally. But humility is key. It is key to forgiveness, to serving others, to spreading the gospel. Your message will be better received if it comes from a place of humility rather than pride.
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
What does pride look like? What does humility look like? Why do you think Jesus teaches humility? Which type of person do you prefer to be around?
When and how does pridefulness seep into your life? What has helped you remember and practice humility?
1 My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
When reading through this, I had two thoughts on this first verse from different perspectives.
Do we sometimes try to understand things that we just really can’t understand? There are some people who want to know the answer to everything. And searching for knowledge isn’t inherently bad. But does it become so much of a priority that it is leading you toward pride?
On the other hand, do we let this become an excuse to just say “well, I guess we can’t know” and give up on the pursuit of truth and knowledge?
I think there probably has to be a balance between these two things. When I don’t know the answer to something (that I believe to be unanswerable – not like a math problem that has a clear answer), it just doesn’t bug me. I know other people who just have to know and they spend so much time searching and studying and still not finding answers which frustrates them. But I do let that be an excuse at times to not search for an answer and give up on something that I could know more about.
The passage goes on to say, “But I have stilled and quieted my soul […] O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.”
That’s the key. Our hope shouldn’t be found in knowledge. Our hope should be in the LORD. We should be at peace with the things that are above our understanding. But I also think we should try to know the LORD as best as we can with our human minds. In John 17:3, it says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life is to know God and His Son Jesus. And we can’t know Him if we don’t spend time pursuing Him even if we can’t have all the answers.
So we should be doing what we can to know and understand God, but also let go of our desire to have the answer to everything, humble ourselves, and live in peace knowing that God’s ways are greater than our own.
~Stephanie Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Is there some information you are content not knowing? Like what?
Have you ever found yourself struggling with pride because of what you do know? How can you practice humility instead?
What do you think God wants us to know about Him and His Son?
Do you ever misplace your hope and put it in yourself and all you know and can do – instead of in God? What is the remedy?
“For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.”
2 Peter 2:21 (ESV)
An idea stitched through today’s readings is that the God of Heaven prefers human behavior that is good and has an aversion to human behavior that is bad (to put it mildly). The Maker of mankind pays attention to both the wicked and the righteous (Proverbs 15:3). God sees all that happens on earth and, although all bad is wrong from His perspective, there seems to be a certain kind of action that uniquely draws His ire: people, who “speak on behalf of God”, using their influence to persuade others to evil–such people are called false prophets and false teachers (Jeremiah 23:16-17, 2 Peter 2:1). How do we avoid becoming like these people and live in a way that pleases our Maker?
Looking through the whole of scripture, one will discover that nearly all the people God employed for His purposes displayed humility (or were first humbled), while those whom God rejected or stopped using were dragged down by pride. When Jesus ministered in Judea and the surrounding regions, he embraced people who were stereotypically seen as bad (or, unrighteous) and opposed those who were known (and self-described) as good (or, righteous). While it is true that those whom Jesus befriended did bad things and those whom Jesus antagonized did good things, the defining distinction between the two was humility (in the former) and pride (in the latter).
The religious leaders of first-century Jerusalem saw themselves as righteous men who had things figured out–they needed no one to save them. The outcasts, meanwhile, longed for salvation–both from the Roman overlords and their own sinfulness. In other words, the people who embraced Jesus saw him as a doctor and themselves as the sick, while those who rejected him, saw Jesus as an instigator and themselves as the people preserving the peace. If one denies they have a problem, one cannot get the help needed.
There is a conundrum for the Christian: we are called to do good works (Ephesians 2:10) and to represent Christ on God’s behalf (2 Corinthians 5:10), but we are also warned that one who has claimed to be a Christian (maybe even one who has been an effective evangelist) can come to a place where, because of their pride, it would have been better if they had “never known the way of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:21). How do we avoid this state, while being faithful to our calling?
From what I see from scripture, the best antidote to getting on God’s bad side is to live in, with, and by humility. First, by fearing, above all (with reverence, awe, and worship) Yahweh. Second, by recognizing Jesus as the only way to the Father, to life eternal, and to the good life. Third, by recognizing that, while this knowledge radically changes lives, it doesn’t make one superior to anyone else.
You can, with great fervor, study your Bible for countless hours every day, and do all the spiritual practices prescribed or implied by the text, but it won’t make you any better off…unless you are aware and live as though you need a doctor and view Jesus as that doctor. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day didn’t recognize the great physician because they didn’t acknowledge their sickness. If we want to make sure we don’t go down that same dead-end road, if we don’t want to get scolded or labeled as a false teacher, we must take our humble medicine every day.
-Joel Fletcher
Joel Fletcher lives in Minnesota with his wife and two small children. He is involved with youth group and worship music at Pine Grove Bible Church.
Reflection Questions
Do you realize your need for a doctor and Savior? How does Jesus provide what you need?
What happens to those who once knew they needed Jesus, but then are puffed up with pride and go their own way?
What steps can you take to stay humble (or first become humble)? In what areas of your life do you most frequently run into the problem of pride? How can knowing this help you in the future?
In our daily life we find ourselves interacting with others. It may have been less often over the last few years, but still we were created to be social beings. So it should come as no surprise that a lot of the teachings of Jesus would have to do with how we should treat those people when we come in contact with them.
Here in Matthew 18 he begins by correcting his disciples over a fight they were having, on who would be the greatest among them, when they were in the Kingdom. So often we, like the disciples here, find ourselves trying to one up each other. We want to be the one in charge. We want to be the one who has the biggest slice of cake, the one who gets the best parking space, or the one who gets to be at the front of the line. I’m not saying that these things are bad. I’m just saying that in this culture we live in, where everyone is putting their wants and desires above everyone else around them, we are called to be different. We are called by God to put others ahead of ourselves.
I think one of the best examples of putting other people first comes from our greatest example, and who we are to model our lives after, Jesus. In Matthew 14 we find the story of one of the coolest miracles in the Bible. It is the time that 5000 men plus all the women and kids that were with them, were fed with only five loves of bread and two fish. But look at what happened right before this. The beginning of the chapter tells us that Jesus’ own cousin, John the Baptist had just been killed by King Herod, and Jesus got word of it. When he found out, Jesus decided to have some alone time, most likely to mourn for his cousin and to pray. So Jesus and his disciples traveled by boat to a solitary place. But the crowds seeing that he had left followed him. When Jesus arrived and found everyone waiting for him, he didn’t get mad at the crowds and tell them to go away so he can be alone. Instead, the Bible says, “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matt 14:14) Jesus did take some time for himself, to mourn over John later that day, going up on the mountain, while the disciples headed back across the water. But he still put the needs of the crowd ahead of himself.
As you read Matthew 18 today, be sure to notice all the ways that Jesus teaches us to treat others: reaching the lost with the gospel, approaching other believers who have sinned and forgiving those who wronged you. And as you read Jesus’ teachings, think of the examples he set for us, in these regards, by the way he lived his life.
-Jonny Smith
Reflection Questions
In what situations do you have a harder time putting the needs of others before your own? When is it difficult for you to happily and humbly take the lower position?
In what ways is Jesus calling you to be different from the world? In what ways is Jesus calling you to be different from what you were last year?
In what ways does Jesus’ example line up with his teaching?
What can we learn of the Kingdom designer and Father of Jesus in your reading today?
Chapter 4 ends with verse 19: Therefore, let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good (ESV).
The suffering in the New Testament is related to living a life set apart from worldliness, which is opposed to God’s will. It is not God’s will that we should suffer, but when we follow in the ways that he has prescribed for us we will undoubtedly face opposition and ultimately suffer for the sake of the Gospel. We need to trust that our creator will ultimately use that suffering for good. There’s a popular song that we sing at my church that has the line “you take what the enemy meant for evil, and you turn it for good” (drawing on Genesis 50 for inspiration).
Chapter 5 then begins with Peter addressing the leaders of the church, specifically calling to mind the sufferings of Christ. Pastors/elders are to function in the role of shepherds for the congregations that have been entrusted to them in leadership. The verb that is translated as “shepherd” also can be translated as “feed” – does this directive remind you of any instructions that Peter himself received from Jesus?
In John 21 three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him (notice a correlation between Peter’s three denials of Jesus and the three affirmations that Jesus receives from him?) and three times tells him to feed his sheep (this is a different Greek word in John, but it means essentially the same thing). As the primary leader of the church Peter was to feed Jesus’ sheep, meaning Christians. The impetus for this spiritual leadership is not to be out of self-importance or in Peter’s case even that Jesus chose him to lead, but out of love for his master and savior (and friend!). When we see Peter lead, he is following in obedience to the one who called him out of the boat and invested in him and entrusted him to feed his sheep. Peter certainly was not doing this for gain or for an easy life, I imagine his life would have been much easier had he simply decided to go back to fishing full time, but he faced many trials and much opposition in his preaching the word and leading the church.
In the same way, those of us who are called to be pastors and elders (who are specifically addressed here, but anyone who holds an office in the church should take heed of this) should be using their love of Jesus as their motivation for leading. Presumably most church leaders start off this way, but it can easily go to one’s head. There are many public instances of pastors who have become controlling, power hungry, and abusive (quite often we see this in large churches with lucrative opportunities for pastors) – but even in small churches the desire to control can infiltrate the hearts of those who are called to lead or “run” the church. Elders (I’ll include pastors in this title from here on out) are to be willing and eager to carry out the work that they have been called to. With a calling to leadership comes responsibility – a significant thing to note is that we who are in authority (and who teach) are held to a higher level of accountability (James 3:1). Those who are in authority are to be an example to those who they oversee spiritually, and humility is one way in which we should be an example. Jesus stated that he was gentle and humble (Matthew 11:29), and we see in Philippians 2 that humility was essential in Jesus salvific work as God’s anointed one.
As Jesus was humble and as we who are elders (overseers) are to be humble (following Christ’s example), so then are the members of the body to exercise humility and submit to those who are in authority over them. If leaders are humble and operating as Jesus would expect them to, then humble Christians submitting to the godly authority that has been placed over them will thrive in their submission. We’re never going to agree on everything and that is why the decisions of local congregations are to be subject to the elders and not left up to the democratic will of a large collective. Elders absolutely can delegate responsibilities and set up clear roles for the body (Acts 6), but the authority over the church should lie with them.
We just added two new elders at my church yesterday. The process was not a short one… Myself and our other elders had many discussions on who we thought would be a good fit to assume these offices and eventually recommended that these two individuals be confirmed as elders. We don’t accept nominations for elders, but rather we look for men who meet the requirements of elders as listed in Titus 1, and then we have a confirmation vote. Other churches do things differently and may have boards structured in different ways or may be more egalitarian in the way that they define elders, I don’t condemn that, but we need to take seriously the guidelines that are listed in scripture and not be too quick to structure things in a way that is more reflective of the nation/society we live in than how the early church did things. Regardless of our views on church leadership one thing we need to be able to do is disagree with grace and love.
We need to make sure that whatever disagreements we have are dealt with in love and we need to not let them distract from what God would have us do and we need to make sure that we keep our minds clear (5:8, reaffirming 4:7), be on the lookout, and refrain from being anxious (cast those anxieties on God, see also Matthew 6), because the enemy prowls like a lion looking for someone to devour. When we allow conflict to take root or we allow anxiety to be prevalent in our churches, bad things will happen. We may often think about the enemy being on the prowl for individuals, but he’d also love to devour a local church and render it ineffective at making disciples or worse, cause it to die out (is that really worse?). I bet we could all think of examples of things we can (or do) divide over, one such argument could be what Peter means by “our enemy the devil”, but we need to take seriously the words of the author of Hebrews when he/she says: “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;” (Hebrews 12:14–15 ESV).
-J.J. Fletcher
Reflection Questions:
1. For those of you in authority: do you do it willingly? Eagerly? Without being domineering? Sometimes we do have to be forceful and make unpopular decisions, but that can still be done in a graceful and kind way. Do you need to be humbler, or do you think you have that well under control? Do you have an individual in mind that has authority problems with whom you can practice extra grace?
2. For those of you under authority: Do you respect those who have been placed in authority over you? Do you easily submit to that authority? Do you gossip about the leaders of your church and cause problems that way? Do you stop attending church when changes occur, or decisions are made that you disagree with? Do you go church hopping and just stick around till someone ticks you off and move on to the next place (which might just be going back to a former church until the vicious cycle starts over again?
Podcast Recommendation: The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill (from Christianity Today). It can be difficult to listen at times, but it has lots of examples on how to do leadership wrong, which we can benefit from.
For many of us, the last few weeks we have been reestablishing our school time routines. The lackadaisical jazz of summer has transitioned into the tight structure of a concert march. Alarms begin to sound once more and the the score begins. Many times, my day begins with a morning run. I pride myself in the ability to time this run in such a way that I squeeze in all my other to-dos before the school day (like shower, pack, dress, eat breakfast) and be in the school building with a minute to spare. Everything was again like clockwork – run, shower, pack, breakfast – until I had an important realization as I crossed the threshold of the school door and met the flow of air streaming from the vent: I had not stopped sweating since my run. My body still thought it was summer. My shirt was now mostly covered in sweat, and it didn’t show signs of slowing. I walked down the hallway, was questioned multiple times about the appearance of showering in my shirt, but I was committed to going about my day with a sweat-filled shirt and a pride-filled attitude. Fortunately, through the insistence of an administrator, I took up the offer of a sweat-free replacement. I finally humbled myself, and let my pride go.
Humility comes easier when you are sweating through your shirt with nothing else to wear, but it is more difficult to be humble when you’re on top. You’re in charge. You’re the boss. You’re the expert. You’re the best. When you have a history of achieving or exceeding large and meaningful goals. We beam with pride because we feel we “are” or “have” something. When our ego wins, we make a case for why we are better than others. We expect God to acknowledge us more, and when he doesn’t, oftentimes, we deny Him completely, becoming our own god, roleplaying as the savior, the judge, and the ultimate source of “being” in our own life. Pride becomes our sweat-filled shirt – it’s not a good look.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit [vainglory]. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:3-5
If there was anyone to ever walk upon this earth with pride, it should have been Jesus Christ. He is the closest to God a human will ever get, yet “being in the form of God, he didn’t see equality with God as something to be grasped.” (Philippians 2:6) Here is the deepest of theologies about the nature and relationship of Jesus Christ to his Father. Jesus Christ serves God Almighty alone, and we should do the same (see: the greatest commandment, Matt 22:37,38) Jesus didn’t care he was viewed as an amatuer by many of the Pharisees. Who cares? He didn’t identify himself in the status in the company he kept. Not on his radar All he could lay his eyes upon was in his grasp. (Matt 4:8,9) He flatly refused. He had a critical role to play for our Heavenly Father. He chose humility, a life of service, knowing that His Father exalts those who humble themselves to His will, and also humbles those who choose to lift themselves higher than others (Luke 14:11; Phil 2:9-11)
Likewise, we are called and mandated to be humble. Less of me and less of you until only Jesus remains. How do we do this? In all our ways acknowledge Him (Prov 3:6), but are ready to give up time, effort, energy (life) for someone else (Matt 20:28) so they may know the Kingdom of God. We can still be ambitious, but it must be driven by God, not simply a feather in the cap or degree on the wall. We can look for glory, but it is bestowed upon our heavenly Father, not to us. We must be on our knees, known more for the top of our head than the self-satisfaction of our face. We must minister to those who can give us no status or possessions in return, only a life given over to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are to walk in humility, no longer run away with our pride.
“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12,13
-Aaron Winner
Questions for Reflection
When does your pride and ego prevent you from being Christ-like?
Would you rather humble yourself before God or be humbled by God?
In this section of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he shares with them about the thorn in his flesh. If you notice, we are not told exactly what this thorn is. He even mentions that three times he asked for it to be taken. But the LORD’s response was not that of immediate healing. Rather God left that thorn there, so that through this weakness Paul and others could see the power of God perfected. Paul began to view this thorn as something to keep him humble.
Let’s think about this in a bit of a different perspective. Have you ever been out walking in the summer? Picture the trees and the birds singing, the warm air on your face and the peace of the moment. Everything is great, that is until you take that next step. Yep, there it is… Something is in your shoe.
Imagine if it was out of your power to remove that nuisance in your shoe. You are stuck with it and now you have a limp. You cannot walk upright unless you lean on the sturdy walking stick you had brought with you but had been neglecting.
This stone in your shoe has caused you to rely on something other than your own two feet. Paul’s thorn in his flesh gave him even more of a reason to remain humble and to rely on his God.
We each have things in our lives that we struggle with. It may be a temptation we face, an insecurity we have, a sickness we carry or the pain of watching a loved one in agony. So often we think that God can only care for us if he is helping us fix these problems and removing these thorns. But scripture tells us that the LORD is near to the broken hearted.
In Paul’s case, we know the LORD was with Paul. So even if your thorn is still there, it does not mean the LORD is not with you. In fact, that thorn may be the very thing that shows you that He is there. When that thorn gets uncomfortable, lean into the LORD as you would on that walking stick. And look with hope to the day when the LORD will wipe away every tear.
-Hannah Deane
Application Questions
How can you be strong while you are weak? Is there a time you have felt this in your own life? When have you observed it in others?
Why is God’s first priority not to give you everything you want to make yourself comfortable? What does He want instead?
How does pride affect your relationship with others? How does pride affect your relationship with God? Where and how can you weed out some pride and replace it with humility?
Seek Grow Love 