Heaven's view of Weakness

 2 Corinthians 12:1-10

I’ve shared that my profession was sales and because I was good at my occupation, and I watched and listened to others who excelled in the business.  I also read books by men like Spencer Johnson, M.D. with titles like “Who moved my Cheese?” and John C. Maxwell, “Becoming A Person of Influence” and “Good to Great” by Jim Collins and guys like Ziglar on Selling” and much more.  But none of them had the council found in Paul’s letter to the churches of Corinth. 

In the culture we live in many a person has written a book on dying and going to heaven.  It's almost guaranteed to be a best-seller, unlike the ones who see Jesus in a tortilla.  The people who have died and come back to tell what they have seen are a big hit, we all want to know about this place, and many will buy the book, go to the movie that is telling the story and even share it with anyone who will listen as if it were the gospel.   

The apostle Paul “tells about going up into the third heaven – whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.  And I know that this man was caught up into paradise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.”  Now here is a very different account, than most of the ones we hear about today; Paul is not allowed to talk about much of what he has heard or seen, we find this recorded in verses 4-7, “and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”  Those books on excelling in the profession of sales talked about turning your weakness into a strength and about working on your power to become the strongest and best in the game of selling so that you would be rewarded for your many strengths, for in this world weakness is not a good thing.

In fact, in the time of Paul weakness was not in vogue any more than today.  No one wants to be seen as a weak person, that is until they see things from heaven’s view.  Listen to these words of the apostle Paul; ”Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Many a follower of Jesus has learned that Christ, who is life, wants to teach us how to be strong.  As long as we want to be in control when insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities come, and they will come, we will not be strong for we will read and work on all the self-help books about how to not experience insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities in our own power. And it is only in Christ that we become more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice