Daily Devotional

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

When we think of a life of power, we immediately imagine someone who is strong, unshakable, full of authority and abilities, right? Yes, that's usually what everyone thinks, but the reality isn't quite like that... Sometimes we only discover great strength when we are at our weakest... It's intriguing how God's logic seems to confuse our natural understanding of strength and power. But when we are weak, in our own strength, then we are strong, in God's strength.

In this verse we read the answer given by God to Paul, after he had prayed three times asking for great suffering to be taken away from him. God's grace is enough! And His power is perfected in us when we are weak. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" served to activate his total trust in God's strength. So too, when we are weakened by life's sufferings, we find the greatest power that comes from Jesus Christ. We can only live with real power when we rely on God's strength and not on ourselves...

Live empowered by God's grace

• If you feel weak, debilitated, "broken" physically or emotionally, gather all your strength to believe in God with all your heart.
• Pray and cry out to the Lord when you go through afflictions, He will give you grace and power to overcome!
• The Holy Spirit gives you power to overcome sin and authority to testify about Christ (Acts 1:8).
• Take advantage of your troubles to develop a deeper friendship with God.
• Give thanks for God's grace and presence in your life. He makes you strong!

Pray:

Lord God, help me to live with power through the grace of Jesus Christ! I am small and weak, Father... Without you I can do nothing! Your grace alone is enough for me. You are good, you are the almighty God... Teach me to trust in you in the moments of greatest weakness and suffering that I face. I thank you for your presence, which renews me every day. Be with me, now and always, God! In the name of Jesus, I ask you, amen!

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,"
Philippians 2:3

If there's one thing that can lead us away from God, it's vanity. Vanity - or egotism - is a dangerous trap set for us by Satan. If we allow vanity to grow in our lives, we will be in trouble. The devil fell from grace because of his ambition - he thought he was better than God and this led to his expulsion and condemnation. There is no way to be in God's presence if you are fed by selfishness and vanity. Identifying these feelings is very important so that vanity doesn't grow.

A life of vanity is not a life in which we can flourish. No one can bear to live with an arrogant person for long, so those who live an egotistic life - full of vanity - unfortunately tend to end up alone.

In this verse to the Philippians, Paul teaches us a principle that can help us fight vanity: considering others to be superior to ourselves. When we think we are "greater" than someone else, we deceive ourselves and at some point, we will fall into the trap of vanity. Being submissive to God, considering others greater than ourselves, literally brings us closer to the Lord and we become a channel of God to people.

A distinction should be made between ambition and vanity, although we need to keep our ambitions in check; Paul speaks of his ambition in Romans 15, saying "It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known", his ambition is no vanity, it is invested in the kingdom. We too can show ambition, as long as it too is invested in heavenly goals, not our earthly desires.

Jesus is a great role model of humility and submission to God. Even though he was the Son of God - he was The Servant King - he came to serve and not to be served. Christ never humiliated anyone to be recognized. Everyone wanted to be by his side, and his presence drew crowds. Jesus still attracts crowds today of those who practice his teachings. Humility is the key to a broken heart and a life founded on God's love.

Feeding humility and not vanity:

• Try to learn more about Jesus in his teachings. He is the greatest example of humility we can have.
• When we are polite to people, we create a peaceful environment. Even when there is a conflict, a humble attitude eases tensions.
• If you are the target of arrogance, avoid 'giving back in kind'; your good testimony can bring the person who treats you badly to repentance.
• Before showing off your qualities, try to appreciate the qualities of others. Jesus always saw value in the lives of those whom people ignored.

Pray:

Lord Jesus, I am nothing in the presence of your power. I was saved by your grace and not by my own deeds. Help me to be a good servant. I want to learn more from You, my heart is open. In Jesus' name, amen.