You may feel your motivation and passion are burned out. But keep your eyes on Jesus and rest in the grace of God… Grace is God’s doing! Grace is your fuel! Grace is your anointing, and the anointing always breaks the yoke.
In one of his letters to the church of Corinth, by the Holy Spirit, Paul talks about his thorn in the flesh. There has been much speculation as to what Paul’s thorn was. In the letter to the church, Paul writes, “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.”
The book of 2nd Corinthians is a deeply personal letter. The circumstances behind this letter reveal the difficult and often painful realities of ministerial life. More than any of his other epistles, 2 Corinthians shows Paul’s pastor’s heart. In 1 Corinthians we learn how the church in Corinth was rebellious, struggling with division and spiritual immaturity. Paul’s authority had been undermined and his teaching contradicted.
2 Corinthians 12:10
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.
Therefore, I would like to add a suggestion as to what Paul’s thorn was. Could it have been that the apostle was burned out and running on empty? A man of passion, Paul had always given his all for the churches he’d planted. Some of them were thriving while others, like Corinth, turned out to be a thorn in the flesh. The Corinthian church had become insubordinate, critical and judgemental. Paul was facing what we might term, church politics. He says, “For I fear that perhaps when I come, I may find you not as I wish. That perhaps there may be quarrelling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.” Paul had poured so much into this group of believers, only to have them criticise him and rebel against his leadership. Nothing is more demoralising for a pastor than a critical spirit. I believe Paul was emotionally threadbare.
Yet, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul writes that God’s grace is enough, and his power is made perfect in our weakness. Paul was facing a great challenge to his ministry. He was feeling weak. However, Jesus tells him that in his weaknesses, he is strong because God’s grace is his strength. Paul says to the Corinthians, “For Christ was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.”
Whatever opposition you are facing today; whatever may be your thorn in the flesh, never quit! You may feel your motivation and passion are burned out. But keep your eyes on Jesus and rest in the grace of God. Jesus told Paul that God’s grace was enough to get him through. Grace is God’s doing! Grace is your fuel! Grace is the anointing that always breaks the yoke.
Paul persevered and continued to pastor, teach and lead, not by his own strength, but by the empowerment of God’s grace.
God-tracking is running on empty by God’s grace.
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2 Corinthians 12
2 Corinthians 13:4
Hebrews 12:2-3
Isaiah 10:27
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GodTracker
You can track God’s plans for your life with Dudley Anderson, the author of Tracking the Will of GodThis post is part of Dudley’s weekly GodTracker devotional series. You can also listen to his GodTracker podcast.
What is GodTracker?
GodTracker is a weekly e-mail Christian motivational thought, written by Dudley Anderson, based on the premise that God has a plan for our lives. His Word calls us to seek his plan by acknowledging him in all our ways and by tracking his purposes, in faith. Most of what you’ll read is based upon the author’s personal experience of tracking the plans of God.
