Focus
Take a few minutes to push the “pause” button on whatever is going on around you and be still with God.
Read
2 Corinthians 13:1
This is the third time I am coming to you. “Any charge must be sustained by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” 2 I warned those who sinned previously and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again, I will not be lenient– 3 since you desire proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
Reflect
Paul here is dealing with a paradox Christ was weak but now He is powerful. We are weak in the flesh but we are powerful by the power of God in us. Jesus was perceived as weak because He did not establish an earthy kingdom. Many thought it was silly for anyone to follow a crucified Messiah. Now as Christians we look and see the character of the disciples before Jesus’ death and after His resurrection. We see that Jesus was truly raised and how many people would be tortured and die that this couldn’t be a lie. A lot of times the world sees Christians as weak.
During the first three centuries of Christianity Christians were thought of as weak because they did not have an army nor insurgents, but they were powerful none the less. They subverted a whole empire. True Christians would often be caught because they would not do public displays of ritual worship common to the Gentile peoples. The emperor was often considered divine and called Lord Curios in Greek. So, if Jesus is Lord than that was a challenge to Rome. As Christians, we are a challenge to any government because our first allegiance is to Christ Jesus. Our revolution though is the opposite of the world not based in power in traditional terms.
Pray
God, help us to not boast in our own strength which is weakness in comparison to you. May we only boast in you and the wonderful works you have done in our lives may we boat in our weaknesses as well showing that we are a broken people who are loved and saved by a Holy God. It’s in Christ Jesus’ Holy name we pray, Amen
Go with God!
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