By Michael Duncan

“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.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
 
Let us give glory to God for the grace that we have received in Christ. Much is said of God’s grace, and many today take His grace for granted, as if they can easily presume upon His gracious love toward them. Let us do no such thing lest we minimize the true nature of God’s grace and think little of the price that was paid to procure it for us. For God’s grace was purchased at the cost of the Son of God. Through His suffering and death, He won the ultimate victory for all who believe on Him. Let us never think with such insolent minds, but humble ourselves before His Majesty, the LORD Jesus Christ, and receive with trembling hands the gift for which He paid so dearly. I encourage you to read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 for the full context today.

And as we look upon His grace today, we read in our text the words of the LORD Jesus, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Tested and tormented, the Apostle Paul pleaded with the LORD to remove the troublesome condition that plagued his life. We read in 2 Corinthians 12:7, “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.”

The LORD used Paul with great effectiveness and revealed many wonders to the apostle. Yet, that came at the price of a reoccurring difficulty that he described as a “thorn.” This was no small thorn, as if he were pricked by the briars of a rosebush. This was no mere pesky trial, but a severe test upon the life and heart of the apostle. It was a “messenger of Satan” a constant harassing envoy of the enemy of God. As the “accuser of the brothers” (see Revelation 12:10), this messenger might have been the constant reminder of past failures that troubled Paul’s present efforts. The great apostle was as yet imperfect, and weak in his flesh.
 
Which brings us to the desperate need for God’s grace. The LORD did not tell Paul that it was His wisdom that was sufficient, though it is absolute. Jesus did not remind Paul that it was His authority that was sufficient, though He reigns supreme. It was, and is, God’s grace that is the sufficiency for Paul—for the unmerited favor of Christ is what saves us and keeps us. Paul, reminded of past sins and present trials, was told to look not upon any other merit that he might possess, but to look to the grace of Christ.

We are reminded in Ephesians 2:5, “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” Where will you look, beloved, when you are troubled by your past forgiven sins? Shall you look to yourself and hope you see a sufficient righteousness? Where will you look when the accuser stands at your ear and reminds you of your incomplete righteousness? Dear ones—look to the LORD and His all-sufficient grace, for it is there that you are reminded that He has done away with all your past sins and He has covered you in His righteousness.
 
And so now your weaknesses become the means of magnifying God’s grace. Paul continues, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Are we not all the chief of sinners as Paul would describe Himself (see 1 Timothy 1:15)? And we have only weakness to offer the LORD of Glory. But in our weakness, He becomes our strength and is glorified for it shows that it is done by Christ and not ourselves. Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” We are the “jars of clay” my friends, and we are only held together by the power of the LORD Jesus. Let us, then, boast as the apostle Paul of our weaknesses, declaring that only by the grace of God and the power of His might do we even have the means of standing in the assembly of the redeemed.
 
Let us close this day content in our LORD, as Paul reminds us, “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.” Let us always look to Jesus, holding onto Him by faith and trusting in His all-sufficient grace. Whether we are weak, persecuted or under some hardship, we can find our strength in Him.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

Above faith content originally published at AuthorMichaelDuncan.com: All-Sufficient Grace.

Michael Duncan is a husband, father… and even a grandfather!

He is a pastor and an author. Among other things he is and has done, he states on his website:

“One thing more, of greater worth than all the above, I am born again through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I was a wretched sinner when Jesus found me, and through His word revealed His mercy and grace to me. He willingly took my place and suffered the full wrath of God upon the cross and died in my place, then three days later He rose from the grave. Out of His great love He did this so that those who repent and put their faith in Him would have their sins forgiven on His account, be set free from the eternal wrath of God, have His righteousness given to them, and a secure place forever in eternal glory. This is who I am...
​I am a Christian.”