“My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
The
more my mind dwells on God―the more I seek His truth―the more I
allow His love and truth to impact my life―the more I become like
Him in character. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control start to claim my life.
Something else happens as these virtues develop. The closer I grow in
my relationship with Him, the more I am aware of my lack of power to
live a life that honors Him―to live the very virtues that God is
trying to grow in me. The desire is there, but often His standard
makes my own effort seem like a failure. The sense of my own
inadequacy reveals that I need to surrender more of my life to His
life-changing power.
It is
what I do with that sense of failure that makes the difference in my
life. If I allow my failure to define who I am, then I will remain
weak, defeated, and a failure. But if I yield that failure to His
refining process, my weakness is taken over by His strength. His
power changes and perfects my life. I grow stronger in my
relationship with Him. Surrendered to Him, I experience His love for
those I find it hard to love. I experience His patience when things
don't work out the way I plan. I offer a kindness that I could never
offer on my own. I experience His power that is held in check with a
gentle spirit. I understand what it means to remain faithful whenever
something attempts to shake my commitment. My heart seeks His
goodness because I wish to be more like Him. I surrender what I am
unable to control to His control, and in doing so I have self-control
of my thoughts and actions. My surrender to His higher purpose
imparts a joy which can never be destroyed by a less-than-perfect
circumstance. His peace reigns because I have given Him all of my own
struggles and failures and kept my mind and heart focused only on
what is good and pure and uplifting.
Without
God's standard to meet in my life, I will not have a sense of
failure. I will not have conviction that changes me. However, it is
when I am growing in my relationship with Christ and seeking Him,
that His standard convicts my life. A sense of failure can inspire me
instead of defeat me. When I realize my weakness, I know that I need
His power. Instead of wallowing in my sense of failure and running
from His grace, I keep seeking more of Him. I learn that His grace is
greater than any failure or sin. His grace changes my life, and His
power overcomes my weakness. Instead of failure, I learn spiritual
growth.
Has
failure ever kept you from growth? Be committed and be diligent to
seek Him and grow in His grace. “Let perseverance finish its work,”
James writes, “so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking
anything” (James 1:4, NIV).
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