“My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
The grace of Jesus Christ has
the power to change every aspect of my life. The more I dwell on His love―the
more I seek His truth―the more I allow His love and truth to impact my life―the
less I am like me, and the more I become like Him. However, the closer I grow
in my relationship to Him the more I am aware of my lack of power to live a
life that honors Him. The desire is there, but often His flawless perfection makes
my own effort seem like a failure. When I experience feelings of inadequacy or
failure in my life, surrendering to His life-changing power can make all the
difference. If I allow my failure to define who I am, then I will remain weak,
defeated, and a disappointment. But if I yield that failure to His refining
process, my weakness is replaced by His strength. His power changes and
perfects my life. I grow stronger in my relationship with Him. The failure
which had once defined and defeated my life, is surrendered to His power. He
controls what I am unable to control.
Without the standard of God's truth
to work toward in my life, I will have no sense of failure. Without His
standard, I will not understand the conviction with which He can change me.
However, it is when I am growing in my relationship with Christ and seeking
Him, that His standard convicts me. When I am convicted, there is hope, and a
sense of failure can inspire me instead of defeating 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 run to the Savior who has not only
revealed my failure, but who also is the only answer for it. I constantly seek
more of Him. I learn that His grace is greater than any failure or sin. His
grace changes my life. His power overcomes my weakness. Instead of failure, I
persevere and grow stronger spiritually. Living for Him then becomes the desire
of my heart.
Are you also tired of failure
defining who you are? 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). If you allow the
Holy Spirit to prune away those weak areas, you will know greater spiritual
strength and abundance. You will be perfected by His grace and love. His holy
shears, which prune and sometimes cut painfully, will one day bring forth the
most joyful and abundant harvest. You will realize that in the weakness you
have surrendered to His grace, He has made you strong.
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