November 5, 2019
2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.  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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
New International Version (NIV)
Anybody who has ever had a close encounter with a thorn remembers it!  We describe issues as “thorny” and we sometimes talk about our “thorn in the flesh.”  So what is your thorn?

After Paul gave his resume citing his main credential of suffering for Christ, he talked about a challenge in his life, a thorn in his flesh which was given to him.  He further describes it as a “messenger of Satan” to torment him.  So what was Paul’s thorn?

Some say Paul’s thorn was a person who was giving him grief.  Others say it was a physical ailment like Malaria or an eye ailment.  For my part, I’m glad we don’t know.  If it were Paul’s eyes, we might think, “God can help someone with eye problems, but not my kind of problems.”  Perhaps the Spirit led Paul to leave it purposely generic so that we would know his grace is sufficient, come what may.

Paul must have had a great prayer life, yet God refused to take away his thorn.  Why?  God chose to give Paul grace sufficient to deal with his pain and also to perfect his power in Paul’s weakness.  In context, this precluded Paul from boasting in his own innate gifts and abilities.  He boasted in his weaknesses so that Christ’s power would rest on him.  In Paul’s many weaknesses, God proved himself strong. 

Is God’s grace sufficient for us, too?  It is.  But what about your thorn or mine?  God’s grace is still sufficient.  God does not always take away our problems, but he often chooses to use them to accomplish his will in our lives.  Think about your thorn.  Thank God for it.  Trust his all-sufficient grace today.  Jesus really is enough for all of us, come what may!
Pray with me:      
Father, thank you for the thorns in our lives.  We do not want to hurt, but we welcome your all-sufficient grace to strengthen and sustain us today.  Liberate us from our self-reliance.  Increase our dependence on you.  Fill us with your grace and power, today, we pray, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.
This year our Every Day with Jesus readings will follow The Bible Project Read Scripture Plan.  Copies of this reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download 
the app at readscripture.org.  Read through the Bible with us in 2019!
Joyfully, 
Duane 
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