In Touch Daily Devotion 10 November 2021 | Dr. Charles Stanley | Today’s Message
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Topic: The Grace to Keep Going
Today’s Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7)Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself!
8)Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
9)And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10)Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
In Touch Daily Devotion 10 November 2021 | Dr. Charles Stanley
Would you rather be rescued from suffering and affliction or be given the grace to go through them? Our natural inclination is to escape. That’s why Paul pleaded with the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7-8). But when he understood what God was doing through it, he gladly accepted his weakness. That’s because Paul saw the value of relying on God’s all-sufficient grace and having Christ’s power dwell in him.
Logically, you’d think that the Lord would want to make Paul’s life easier so his ministry would be unhindered, but that was not His priority. God’s goal was to humble Paul so his ministry would not be ruined by pride and self-reliance.
Perhaps you’re struggling with your own “thorn” right now, when all you see is the pain and difficulty. And since God’s purpose isn’t obvious, you keep asking Him to rescue you from the situation. Maybe it’s time to begin asking Him for the grace and strength to endure. It’s through your weakness that the Lord proves Himself strong in your life. His goal is not your comfort but spiritual transformation—along with your increased trust and complete dependence upon Him.
Bible in One Year: Acts 3-4
In Touch Daily Devotion 10 November 2021 | By Dr. Charles Stanley. He is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta and founder of In Touch Ministries, both located in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Stanley’s heart’s desire is to get the gospel to “as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible, as irresistibly as possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God