The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

2 Corinthians 12:9, “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, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”

One of the long-time, yet unsolved biblical mysteries surrounds the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” We won’t solve that mystery here, but we will explore and discover the value –yes, I said value – of that mystery.

If we understand the apostle clearly and accurately, we will discard the speculations regarding the mystery, and focus upon its value. A boy who has been told repeatedly not to pester his smaller school chum learns to focus on the value of his own bloody nose.

The Apostle Paul found his weakness troubling, and on three specific occasions, he asked the LORD to remove the impediment. The LORD denied His servant’s request, insisting that His grace was sufficient. In time, Paul learned that depending upon the LORD was of greater value than the removal of that “thorn-in-the-flesh,” whatever it was.

Is that not possible with you and me? Instead of worrying about what “hurts,” or “what is missing” as we labor in His service, suppose we simply forget about our deficiencies and trust fully on the LORD. Paul discovered that having a weakness left him fully dependent upon Christ. Christ is always there!

“But, why,” you ask, “does not Christ Jesus simply answer our need? Isn’t is possible that He could make our witness more effective, anyway?” Of course, that is possible, but would we then be as consistently dependent upon Him? Probably not. Yet, just as parents desire their children to be dependent upon them, so our LORD desires us to be dependent upon Him. Yield everything to Him! Trust Him implicitly! Be weak! He will make you strong!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”