Daily and Weekly Christian Inspiration
Must be the season for High Teas! It was a joy to be invited to share my testimony and inspire the ladies with their daily intimate time with God at the annual Garden Tea Party at Waldheim Park, Allentown Pa.
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.
Dear Child,
Can’t you see and understand with your heart that when you are admitting your weaknesses in trials and testings, you are humbling yourself. When you humble yourself before Me, My grace is available to you. That is how My strength is made perfect in weakness. So, child, glory in that weakness and need of Me, that My power may rest upon you.
Thus saith Papa
2Cor.12: 7-9…there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
“Paul recognizes not merely God’s strength but also his own weakness. Countless saints have been carried through trial and testings by means of this revelation of God to Paul. Oh, if we ourselves only knew how weak we are! For as soon as the weakness leaves us, POWER likewise departs! But what we go through perfects the words we utter. As we then rise up and admitting our own weaknesses, speak words that are tempered through trial, our brothers and sisters, themselves under testing, are given by God the grace and the strength to carry them through also.” Watchman Nee
Hebrews 2:18 Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
“The thorns Christ wore for us, with which He was crowned, sanctify and make easy all the thorns in the flesh we may at any time be afflicted with. Temptations and trials are most grievous thorns; they are messengers of Satan to buffet us. The design was to keep Paul humble. Paul gloried in his infirmities… this does not mean sinful infirmities (those we have reason to be ashamed of and grieved at) but he means his afflictions, his reproaches, persecutions and distresses for Christ’s sake. These were opportunities for Christ to manifest His power and sufficiency of His grace upon Paul.” Henry Matthew Commentary
The Lord not only took upon Himself my sin and bore my sickness, He also wore my thorns! Surely those thorns were a part of our Lord humbling Himself even to His death on the cross! After Adam’s fall the earth was cursed with thorns and when the Lord Jesus wore that crown of thorns He was actually bearing the curse of the sins of the world.
Phil 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Even as a beautiful rose is displayed on the branches bearing thorns, even so the beautiful love of our savior is displayed beneath a crown of thorns.
The beauty of our lives is displayed when buffeted by those thorns of the flesh!
Those thorns buffet us to shine because they humble us in our weakness that His grace may shine through us.
CHALLENGE: Pray this prayer “Dear Father, Help me by your power to truly digest this truth, that you may be glorified in my life. That others will not see me, but rather your grace and power manifested. That your glory will shine through the cracks of my brokeness.”
Even on one of the hottest days of summer I’m busy with my hands in the dirt trimming and cutting back the roots of my plants that are withering to help them survive the heat. What a window to my soul!
For it is often in that scorching heat of trials that the Great Husbandman digs us up to examine our root structure and trims us back that we might survive the heat. It is usually in the fiery furnace that our lives will bear the most abundant fruit.
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away:and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.— John Lubbock
Having been a person who likes to be productive and not a waste a moment, finding great satisfaction finishing my “to do” list, I thought of relaxing as a waste of precious time and laziness, until I took to heart Jesus’ instructions to His disciples. How about all you other type ‘A’ personalities?
Mark 6:31 Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. (before you come apart!)
How long has it been since you took the time to just sit in silence anticipating to hear His voice?
Read more in the chapter “How do I hear His Voice” from DEVELOPING A SECRET HISTORY WITH GOD available from Barnes / Amazon or a bookstore near you.