Relying on things that appear strong on the outside when they are not truly strong internally is a recipe for disaster. The ensuing damage can be devastating. What’s YOUR source of strength?
On the outside I can come across as fairly strong and very self-reliant. (I’m sure you’re shocked.) I have a t-shirt that says, “An enemy that is fearless has never met a Marine.” That kind of sums it up. I have been doing karate since I was 12 years old, and hold a 9th-degree black belt. I am an expert with a number of weapons. I …, I …., I … When you have a conversation with someone with whom the majority of sentences begin with “I” you’re dealing with a person with a serious problem. Quite probably more than one.
Let me share a secret with you. Though on the outside I may SEEM self-reliant, that is not nearly as true as it might appear. On the inside, I know my weaknesses, my limitations, my failures and my faults. On the inside, sometimes I am a wimp.
Relying on things that appear strong on the outside when they are not truly strong internally is a recipe for disaster. The early morning hours of June 24, 2021 in Miami gave a horrifying illustration of that truth as the Champlain Towers South collapsed, crushing and killing close to a hundred residents. There are times when only true strength and reliable support will do. High rise buildings, airplanes, cars are the first examples that come to mind; but the list could go on for hours.
The bottom line is that when the things we rely upon fail and we lose control, our LIVES can careen out of control. The damage that follows can be devastating. “I …, I …., I …” quickly becomes “Aye, yai, yai!” Our weaknesses ought to drive us to seek greater strength. Paul’s words in today’s verse are the ultimate example.
Today’s verse says THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS
Because Paul knew that he was not the source of his internal strength, he could also say, “When I am weak, THEN I am strong;” because Paul was strong enough to ask for help.
Paul knew where he could find a strength that would NEVER fail; a true strength that would support him in any and every circumstance. And Paul’s life was filled with “circumstances” that proved the power of the presence of God.
His ministry required harder labor, he faced more imprisonments, and endured worse beatings than many of us. He was in frequent danger of death. Five times he was publicly whipped by the Jews. Three times beaten with rods, once he was stoned. (That was not a marijuana experience, those were “real” stones.) Three times shipwrecked; he even had to spend a night and a day in the open sea. He reported being “in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers, often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.”
Let me point out two things for your to consider here.
First, Paul’s faith in God wasn’t some sort of a heavenly barrier that offered protection from every crimes and crisis we face on earth. Paul never said, “Why are these things happening?? I’m a believer in Jesus!!” He knew better. If faith in Jesus would inflate your bank account, guarantee your health, provide impressive automobiles, increase the square footage of your home and provide free electricity, heat and air conditioning we’d have long lines of people waiting outside our churches. Paul knew that Christ’s strength was best seen when his own strength had reached its limits long ago.
Second, Paul knew that nothing could overcome the strength that Christ gave him. Even in the midst of difficult trials. ESPECIALLY in the midst of difficult trials. He told the church in Corinth, “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” He knew THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS because he had seen Him help!
When God gives the GRACE to face any trial, HE gets the glory. When THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS, “Aye, yai, yai!” quickly becomes “ALLELUJAH!!”
You and I, we can enter into any situation knowing that we do not enter alone. He has promised that He will always be with us. THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS.
Sometimes, life will collapse around us. There will be days when the wheels fall off. That is true both for those who follow Christ and those who do not. Life hurts. Life exposes my weaknesses.
But that’s OK; because THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS. His grace is sufficient, His strength never fails.
life will collapse around us. There will be days when the wheels fall off. That is true both for those who follow Christ and those who do not. Life hurts. Life exposes my weaknesses.
But that’s OK; because THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS US IN OUR WEAKNESS. His grace is sufficient, His strength never fails.
