Gleanings – Grace is Enough!

Proper 5, Thursday, June 13, 2013

2 Corinthians 12:1-10

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

This is so counterintuitive. Wouldn’t it make more sense if His power was made perfect in the powerful. After that is why we higher leaders. Isn’t it?

A famous pastor recently said that as a last resort he pulled the senior pastor card. He jumped up and down and said “I want this to happen.” Basically to the staff he said, “get on board or . . .” Or what? Or I will find people who will? That kind of leadership may work well in the armed forces. May! It does not work well in environments where people have choices and less so in places where people volunteer.

The Lord is teaching Paul that grace, not strength and certainly not perfection, is to animate his people. Paul will actually achieve more, or the Lord more through him, if Paul relies upon grace and makes himself utterly dependent.  Not strength but weakness. Not assertiveness but submission.

And God is making grace the only means available to Paul to advance the Kingdom. He won’t free him of his need for it. In this particular case he will not even free Paul of this thing, whatever it is, that afflicts him. My grace is sufficient for what I have called you to do.

Is this teaching made manifest in the new Pope? Sounds like it when he says the church needs a heart of poverty, not the heart of a business man.

 


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