Boast in your weaknesses
Anyone out there bummed about weaknesses, insults, distresses, difficulties…even persecution? Well, it just hit me! That means YOU are in a premier position for the power of God. How on earth??
The Lord reminded me that Paul the Apostle of old had TONS of weaknesses and difficulties, and he didn’t like any of them! He asked the Lord THREE times to lift some of this mess from him, and God responded, “My GRACE is sufficient for you, for POWER is PERFECTED in WEAKNESS” (2 Cor. 12:9a).
Then Paul wrote, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather BOAST ABOUT MY WEAKNESSES so that the POWER OF CHRIST MAY DWELL IN ME” (2 Cor. 12:9b).
Here’s the scoop, then—to TRULY be able to make your boast in Christ, you HAVE experienced, ARE experiencing, and WILL experience various weaknesses, difficulties, insults, distresses…even persecution…in your determination to pursue, love, and obey Jesus fully—both publicly AND privately.
As you are facing various difficulties, you simply do what Paul did—you pull up into the grace of God, allow HIM to fight your battles, and BOAST in your weaknesses [but not in a self-pity sort of way—He’ll even help you with this].
If you’re like me, you’ve tried again and again to conquer your weaknesses and difficulties with your own strength, know-how, and willpower. But Paul lets us in on a sacred secret—holing up in the FAITHFUL GRACE OF GOD and TRUSTING HIS POWER to take over—is SUFFICIENT. God wasn’t lying when He said, “…power is perfected in weakness.”
He who has called you is Faithful, and He WILL bring it to pass (1 Thes. 5:24).
To sum things up—if you—as a believer in Jesus—have never been weak, then you really have NOTHING to boast about. It’s OK to be weak, for then God Himself can work, and He will get the glory.
In that, BOAST!
Dorothy
© 2024, Dorothy Frick
Read MoreSuffering according to the power of God
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God” 2 Timothy 1:8
I don’t know how often I have read 2 Timothy, but this verse recently jumped out at me, as if for the first time. I come from a faith tradition that does not preach or teach much on suffering; I know some who do teach about this topic, but it makes sense to me why it’s not an extremely popular or sought after subject. Who wants to be reminded of suffering?
Here I go, anyway.
This phrase in 2 Timothy 1:8 kept rumbling around inside of me—suffering for the gospel according to the power of God—and then shortened to simply suffering…according to the power of God.
I thought of the apostle who wrote this letter to Timothy and how his entire life as a believer in Jesus was punctuated with suffering.
I love comfort. I told God that. But being a realist, I recognize that this life has its share of suffering, and no one is exempt. Whether the suffering comes in the form of rejection, mockery, lack, pain, illness, loneliness, or any number of other sources, it struck me that there is a way to suffer according to the power of God. Therefore, if I am to undergo suffering of any kind, I choose to do so according to the power of God.
Psalm 91:15 reveals an amazing statement from God. It declares, “I will be with you in trouble”. If you are IN trouble of any sort, know this for certain: That is exactly where the Living God is as well. He is WITH YOU. IN TROUBLE. He’s not like so many whose instinct is to ditch you at the first whiff of difficulty. NO. He’s right there with you in the middle of your trouble. Where you suffer. And if you dare to believe that, then you will be empowered to suffer according to the power of God, a suffering in which the Almighty bears the brunt of your pain and will turn it all around for your good. Why? Because HE’S good.
In August of 2003 I underwent bypass surgery to correct an anomalous right coronary artery. When I awoke in ICU, it felt like my chest had been crushed by an 18-wheeler. Immediately the Scripture came to me, “He was wounded for our transgressions. He was CRUSHED for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5a). And I experienced (as I was waking up from a 14 hour stretch of unconsciousness) the Lord’s crushing in place of mine. My pain was still there, but I was keenly aware of the intense pain He endured for all of us and mine became miniscule in comparison. Without being aware of 2 Timothy 1:8, I had entered into suffering according to the power of God.
And today I was reading Hebrews 2. In verse 17 I read that He was made to be like all of us in all things (the Greek meaning of “was made to be” is He “was obligated to be”. That means if He refused to be made like us in all things, then none of us would ever taste the freedom of being forgiven and cleansed or the joy of experiencing the love of God and eternal life with Him. For us to be fully accepted in Christ, He was obligated to become human…and hence, to suffer like we suffer—and beyond.
Hebrews 2:18 continues, “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”
There is something about suffering that is readily linked to being tempted. Resisting temptation carries a form of suffering—you refuse to pamper or give into whatever is luring you to disobey God. However, I saw something deeper here as well. Suffering of all varieties brings with it great temptation to be outraged at God and ditch HIM for all kinds of reasons. “Why did this happen? I PRAYED!” “Why won’t this go away? I don’t get it! I did everything the Bible says to do and I still hurt (lack, feel depressed, am lonely, etc.)”
Jesus was tempted in the very things He suffered. Don’t think He wasn’t tempted like we are when we suffer to scream, cry, yell, question God and tell Him off, slap faces, punch holes in the wall, kick the dog or cat, and throw an absolute hissy fit and a great big pity party! But He didn’t. Why not? Because He suffered according to the power of God. And in that, He conquered temptation and never gave in to a bit of it.
This verse goes on to say that as a result of His temptation in the things He suffered (and the inferred overcoming of it all), He is ABLE—He has the POWER—to come to the aid of all those who are tempted. That includes you.
Are you in the middle of some kind of suffering that is tempting you to question your faith and everything you know about God? Then you qualify to receive His ability and His power to aid, assist, and support you right where you are, in whatever condition you find yourself.
The victory is not in avoiding suffering altogether (although He so often is gracious to cause us to bypass it), nor is the victory in how short the suffering lasts (although He frequently brings about quick deliverances).
The victory IS found by fixing our eyes on Jesus despite whatever we may be suffering, and to know that the Greater One IS at work in our lives and that He will turn this whole situation around for good. Press on despite it all. Victory IS yours.
This is how you suffer according to the power of God.
Dorothy
© 2023, Dorothy Frick
Read MoreEncountering trials
I cracked open my Bible today to James 1. This section jumped right out at me:
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
Consider it all JOY?? If you are anything like the various people I’ve been keeping up with, your life is getting hit from all sides with varying levels of agitation, piles of distraction, a suffocating sense of cabin fever, perhaps overwhelming grief or loneliness, concerns about finances and health, and the creeping helplessness of uncertainty. I could list all of the things hitting me, but your list is probably longer and more intense! HELP!
But when I gazed on that phrase, consider it all joy, it brought a smile to my face and a sense of relief to the pit of my stomach. Oh, yeah!! I remembered. God is capable of helping me through all of this!
Yup. The trials are here. We are all encountering them, big and small, piled up and weighing us down with all the typical symptoms of stress and anxiety. That means every one of us qualifies for this James 1 exhortation, and the good news is this: We will emerge on the other side of every one of these trials!
You and I may not see instant results, though. That’s OK, because the main ingredient in making it successfully through any trial that hits you (next to leaning hard on Jesus) is ENDURANCE. Perseverance. Not giving up. Knowing that this trial—and all of these trials—will be behind you at some point.
You have made it through past trials. God steadied you, covered you, assisted you…He was there with you back then; He is with you now. He is faithful. That is what you nail your endurance to—His faithfulness to you. Bind yourself to that Rock with the good sturdy rope of Truth and refuse to untie it. He will see you through every one of these tests, both great and small. He loves you.
As you hunker down in tight proximity with Him, endurance will be working on your behalf by the hand of God. Oh, so subtly, but oh, so thoroughly, endurance will have its perfect work. You will make it through Trial 1. You will make it through Trial 2. You will make it through Trial 3….and all the rest of those attacks against your peace, your health, your finances, your sanity, your loved ones, and maybe even your very life.
Most of all, though, you will have walked through this season—perhaps while feeling like a total loser—choosing to fix not only your gaze but your entire being as well on the Capable One who loves you and is willing to hold you close. As you do, my friend, you will find at the end of this onslaught of piled up trials, that you will be perfect (as opposed to destroyed) and complete, lacking nothing.
May God, the Capable One, help all of us.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
Read MoreWhen tempers flare in cultural dialogue
In light of the recent conflict concerning the Covington Catholic School boys and all of the intense, often hugely judgmental dialogue that has followed, I posted this verse and two-sentence comment on Facebook.
“Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:12-13
This applies to all of us. Guard your hearts out there.
Many people “liked” the post; some commented and expressed their exhaustion with our cultural conversational warfare. In response to the back and forth, I posted this:
“We must all do our best to apply this warning of Jesus to our own thoughts, attitudes, and conversations with everyone. The temptation to hate those who think differently than we is cleverly coated with a sense of self-righteousness…but to resist that, we’ve got to be shrewd as serpents, harmless as doves.
“The thing that hit me about our current Catholic kid story is when I recognized that BOTH SIDES of the commenters have similarly intense strong convictions–right or wrong–AND similar responses of offended self-righteousness toward one another! I saw that for us to be effective, we must learn to navigate NOT ONLY the issues in question, but also our own sense of being slighted, disrespected, or being misunderstood. And when attacked, it matters not which side of an issue we are on, if our RESPONSE is from wounded ego, hurt feeling, offense, or bruised pride, we aren’t going to effect the change that we so desire to bring about…we will do the opposite of what we want: We will push people further into what we perceive as delusion. Goes for both sides!
“That’s why I believe many progressives are currently shooting themselves in the foot…they are reacting so strongly, so vehemently, and so judgmentally. People who don’t take sides are really getting their fill of that (think Kavanaugh confirmation era viciousness) and tend to want to side with the less “spit-spewing” side. Those of us who embrace a more conservative, traditional worldview can be every bit as tempted to react with similar vehemence, judgmentalism, and dogged self-righteousness. However, when we speak our peace in love, are patient when wronged, honest, bold, yet never vicious, we can watch what God will do. He will help us!”
Praying that each of us press on to “study to show ourselves approved” not only in CONTENT but also in DELIVERY.
Dorothy
© 2019, Dorothy Frick
Read MoreAbandon the quarrel before it starts
“The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.” Proverbs 17:14
Have you ever waded into the breached dam of contention? Before you know it, you find yourself swept away in a torrent of hurt feelings and strife. Family members or friends dear to your heart seem like bitter enemies after such an encounter. Your soul stings with every thought of them; the pain demands resolution, but fear of stepping back into the flood waters of angry words and dredged up past transgressions freezes you into inactivity.
Perhaps you’ve never experienced this. Perhaps you navigate relationships with grace, thoughtfulness, and dignity, confronting every disagreement with wisdom, kindness, and fairness, humbly taking into consideration your own weaknesses as well, bringing every potential conflict to a quick, peaceful, and loving resolution.
I WISH I could say this about myself. I cannot. You see, I have found myself in the tango of turmoil more than once, even after swearing to myself “NEVER AGAIN” and committing to wise and peaceful discussions—or deflections—whichever seems to suit my fellow “disagreer”.
How, how, how, I asked myself recently, do I train myself to abandon the quarrel before it busts down the dam?
Well, the Lord came through for me (yay, God!) with some instruction as I was seeking Him about this. Instruction is good; doing it is better.
Unfortunately, living in this fallen world, I will have ample opportunity to practice. Not sure I’ll be always be proficient; but as a child of the King, He will help me every time I fall to get back up again. It is my fervent desire to grow in this and to put into practice what He has shown me.
Here’s the Scripture the Lord dropped on me as I prayed. First Corinthians 10:13 is a lengthy verse, but it’s enormously helpful. It says
“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.”
Standing on the edge of an ill-advised quarrel is definitely a temptation. Your pulse quickens as you think of defending of your honor and exposing how very wrong the other person is. However, throwing yourself into the quarrel sucks you right up the vacuum cleaner—trapping you and your “sparring partner” with all of the other dirt!
As I prayed about this verse, God plopped a four-point flow chart down on the inside of me revealing how to deal with the beginning of strife, any time, any place. As an acronym, the first letters of the words He gave me spells the word “ALTAR”—the very spot you must place yourself at the onset of strife—that is, if you want to invite God’s intervention.
- ALERT! The Lord showed me that with my most recent quarrel, I had let down my guard. The quarrel had started before I even knew what was happening—and soon enough, I was in the thick of things and neither of us were benefitted. Had I been on the alert, I would have recognized the flashing warning signals…and I would have abandoned the quarrel before it started! It is because we live in a fallen, troubled world that we must be diligent to maintain vigilant, prayerful alertness for the signs of impending “tit-for-tat” verbal “slap fights” (which sometimes manifest as “helpful insights” into the other person’s secret motives or varied dysfunctions) before we get swept up in the flood of contention and hurt.
- LOOK to the Lord. Once you realize that you and your friend are cruisin’ for a contention bruisin’, immediately force your attention to the One who loves both of you. Look to the Lord for help; don’t look to your mental database for a quick list of past transgressions they’ve committed against you. If you will take charge right then—right when the strife starts—and quietly invite the Lord into the conversation, I believe God will arrive on the scene to intervene.
- TRUST Him. He has answers, solutions, and a way of escape. As you are busy trusting Him, your mind won’t be hashing and rehashing your best comeback to their points against you. Trusting Him to do what He does best—being God—will open the door for Him to step into the middle of your situation.
- AND (Don’t leave this next part out!)
- RECEIVE the way of escape. As soon as you are alert to the onset of strife, look to God and trust Him to open up your escape route…and He will. Your next step? Abandon the quarrel, receive the way of escape He’ll provide—and take it…all the while resisting the urge to land one last jab.
I realize this set of steps—ALTAR—seems simplistic. However, the weeks, months, and years of hurt and blame that emerge from the crippling incapacitation of verbal slap fights consisting of dominance-jockeying, recitation of past transgressions, labeling/name-calling, and harsh judgments destroy relationships and send many lives down bitter dead-end paths of sullen despair, callous resentment, or defeated hopelessness.
By no means does Scripture teach that confrontation is always harmful; the Bible calls us to go to the brother who has offended and speak to him about it. It also urges us to go to the people we hurt and apologize. We are even called to bring a word of correction to one who has strayed. However, never are we commanded to jockey for dominance, recite old laundry-lists of transgressions, brand each other with demeaning labels, or hit one another with harsh judgments.
May God help all of us as we navigate the ups and downs of every relationship in our lives.
Dorothy
If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Romans 12:1
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