2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
WEAKNESS HAS BEEN MIS-REPRESENTED
2 Corinthians 12:9 But he (that’s God) 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.
2 Corinthians 12:11 I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. 12 I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles. 13 How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
MAYBE WE HAVE IT ALL BACKWARDS ABOUT BEING STRONG
2 Cor 10:7 — “You are judging by appearances.”
2 Cor 11:30 — “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”
WEAKNESS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR GOD’S STRENGTH
2 Cor 12: 7-8 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. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
Genesis 3:17b-18a cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
Matthew 13:22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
2 Cor 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
QUESTIONS FOR THE ROAD:
What “hidden tracks” have been running in the background of your mind about strength, weakness, or self-reliance?
Where might God be inviting you to embrace weakness, not as failure, but as a place for His grace and strength to show up?
How does the image of Christ — the One who wore the crown of thorns — reshape the way you see yourself and others?