Delight and blessing in the contrary.

  We learn in life to expect results. It is part of our life experience. We learn that effort produces results.  We study to educate ourselves to advance our knowledge and understanding.  Acquiring knowledge and understanding we often expect results.  In the medical field, nothing is gained or no expertise achieved if little or no effort is expended.  In learning a trade or a skill and advancing beyond the novice or elementary phase requires time, experience and work.  From farmers to fisherman, their expectation of better crops and catches rests on their dedication to their occupation.   In no career, development or advancement would effort be negated as unnecessary to success or achievement. Even in relationships we realize that dedication and expending our time and involvement to another person will build and solidify those relationships. In fact we see the gains from our dedication and efforts as strengths in our lives. 

     We also learn in life experiences to see reproaches, rejections, distresses, persecutions, physical or emotional problems as negatives.  When we experience these difficulties as we are expending effort in our devotion and dedication to our lives, work and to our relationships … we can become discouraged and depressed.  This is contrary to our mindset and our expectations.   We have a hard time with the contrary results because tend to focus on these circumstances and events which we see as contrary to the results expected from our efforts and dedication. We struggle with these seemingly negative events and circumstances in our lives because we often see them as unjust and unfair.

     When it comes to faith … we can become overwhelmed when we focus only on the negatives around us and happening to us.  Certainly these are negatives and they are not strengths nor can we always by our efforts change them.  In fact massive amounts of dedication, determination or effort might not even lessen these negatives in the smallest degree.

     How then can these negatives or weaknesses become strengths? How is it that, something that we struggle with, can be used by Satan to condemn us and by God to strengthen us? It doesn't really make sense but it is both a truth and a promise.  It is contrary to our mindset and to our expectations.  We must stand in the truth, that good can come out of our weaknesses.  It does not happen in our efforts but in our trusting.  It happens as we believe the promise that the grace of Jesus Christ is sufficient and as we trust completely in His grace. We ask for His strength and we trust in His grace as it comes to us and over all that comes against us.  His grace changes our weaknesses into strengths simply because the change doesn't come by our efforts but by His grace.  Our living through hardship and difficulties comes only through grace of Jesus Christ which is beyond sufficient and abundantly more than we can understand in bringing delight and blessing in the contrary.

“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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10, NIV)

Suggested Reading from the Word … 2 Corinthians 12