The Power Of Christ…Upon Me

And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

II Corinthians 12:9d 

Who will get the credit in my life? Paul understood that it must be Christ. If we review what we have considered thus far, we realize that Paul was a person of strong spiritual experience. In fact, he goes as far as to say, in the verses preceding our text, that God had given him his ‘thorn in the flesh’ in order that he might not be ‘exalted above measure,’ because of the abundance of the revelations which he had received. Once he came to terms with the fact that this ‘thorn in the flesh’ was not going away, he had to seek to comprehend how exactly this was going to fit into the larger scheme of things. Christ declared to him, regarding that ‘thorn in the flesh,’ ‘My Grace is sufficient for you.’ The weaker Paul looked; the greater Christ looked. The Corinthians had said of Paul, ‘…his letters…are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.’  Paul did not have much ‘presence’ and was not an impressive speaker. Add infirmities to that, and he had little to commend him. Therefore, Christ got the credit for his ministry. Paul understood that for him to ‘boast’ in his ‘infirmities,’ would result in the conclusion that ‘the power of Christ’ rested upon him. Hence Christ got the credit. So, it is with us. We are weak, frail, and full of infirmities. If God uses us for the advancement of His Kingdom, He will get the credit for it, as well He should. 

Our most Gracious, Enabling Christ, 
We praise You, that You empower us 
to accomplish all that we could never do apart from You. 
You are the Vine, we are the branches, 
And so must it ever be. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning