Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

July 16
Tuesday


HARD WAY
TO STRENGTH

READ:
2 Corinthians
12:1-10
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My strength is made
perfect in weakness.
__2 Corinthians 12:9
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Diamonds are beautiful and valuable gemstones, but their beginning is common carbon__black, dirty, and combustible. Through years of intense heat and high pressure, they become pure and strong. This makes them a good metaphor for spiritual strength; God uses intense outside forces to rid us of impurities and to perfect His strength in us.

God's strength is made perect in our weakness, says the apostle Paul (2 cor. 12:9). I wish this were not true becasue I hate being weak. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments taught me more than I ever wanted to know about physical weakness. Then a minor event plunged me into a state of emotional weakness that caught me off guard. after losing 3 feet of hair and being bald for nearly a year, one bad haircut should not have been a big deal. But it was, and I felt silly for being so weak. and I felt silly for being so weak. Some of us are able to creat an illusion of strength and self-suffiency. But sudden loss of health, employment, or a treasured relationship is a startling reminder of our total dependence on God.

When we experience the fiery furnace of suffering__whether physical or emotional, whether persecution from without or humiliation from within__God's loving purpose is to make us pure and strong. __Julie Ackerman Link

````````````````````God uses testing in our lives````````````````````
```````````````````````To rid us of impurity```````````````````````
``````````````And teach us that our strength's in Him``````````````````
````````````````And not in self-sufficiency. __Sper````````````````````
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suffering is the fire that God uses to
purify and strengthen us.

*******************Today's Bible Reading __ 2 Corinthians 12:1-10**********************

1 It is doubtless not
profitable for me to boast. I
will come to visions and
revelations of the Lord: 2 I
know a man in Christ who
fourteen years ago__whether
in the body I do not know,
or whether out of the body I
do not know, God knows__
such a one was caught up to
the third heaven. 3 and I
know such a man__whether
in the body or out of the
body I do not know, God
knows__ 4 how he was
caught up into Paradise and
heard inexpressible words,
which it is not lawful for a
man to utter. 5 Of such a one
I will boast; yet of myself I
will not boast, except in my
infirmities. 6 for though I
might desire to boast, I will
not be a fool; for I will
speak the truth. But I refrain,
lest anyone should think of
me above what he sees me
to be or hears from me.

7 and lest I should be
exalted aove measure by
the abundance of the
revelations, a thorn in the
flesh was given to me, a
mesenger of Satan to buffet
me, lest I be exalted above
measure. 8 Concerning this
thing I pleaded with the
Lord three times that it
might depart from me. 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. 10 Therefore most
gladly I will rather boast in
my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest
upon me. 10 Therefore I take
pleasure in infirmities, in
reproaches, in distresses,
for Christ's sake. for when I
am weak, then I am strong.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Some claim that when Paul was caught up into paradise, he had a near-
death experience (2 Cor. 12:1-4). However, it is notable that Paul was
forbidden to describe the experience or build any doctrinal truth on it
(v.4).