Made strong in weakness

(Forgive this spontaneity, I feel the urge to do what I truly love- write, and write for the Lord!)

So what is up...
Well, background check- just as few hours ago I was strolling my way down along Dapitan when all of a sudden, someone came before me and said, "Holdap to!"OK, Just kidding...he did not say that. It was a rather friendly hi he threw my way. Si new friendship ko (and may I proudly say, a brother of mine in Christ) si Zion.

And in our conversation and his insight (thanks to God's wisdom), I am now prompted to write this:

Being made perfect in weakness:

And the Lord said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

It is funny how the Lord's principles don't jive with the world's. Well, of course with the influence of sin, that becomes a given. One of those matters is regarding weakness and perfection.

Weakness. Perfection. These two don't seem to go well at all, kinda like boiling a perfect chicken broth and suddenly throwing in whole cabbages in the previously wonderful concoction. True to the norm, we never perceive perfection with weakness, since weakness is regarded as a liability and perfection is...well, perfection. This association in the world view is rather, shall I say...off.

But that is if we miss the mark of God's message. And for those for have meditated upon it, or are willing to do so (and especially for those who have experienced it), this won't be the case.

So what's the point with saying that God's power is made perfect in our weakness?

The Natural Man vs The Spiritual Man:

The Natural Man is our old primitive selves, typically hedonistic in its lifestyle and lives for the worldly pleasures without cares and responsibilities. Its motto: My way or the highway! To state it differently, this aspect of ours is the one that likes self-governance.

The Spiritual Man is the aspect of self who seeks to live for the Lord, having the Lord ruling over the throne of his or her life. Its motto: I will follow Him...(hahaha corny, pero yun yon eh!) He or she lives in obedience to God's commands...through the Holy Spirit who guides him or her.

In the laws of physics, no two forms of matter can occupy the same space at the same time. You can't pour in 240 ml of coffee in a 30 ml cup, right? They won't fit in.

Same goes with our lives. If we choose to rule our lives, independent of God's perfect guidance, we are doomed to fail and fail and fail and fail...you get the point. Well somehow things may seem to work our way, but then because we are human and imperfect beings at that, well...it won't be long just before we slip down the quicksand of failure as we struggle some more.

But if we choose to let the perfect, the all-powerful and all-knowing (and may I gladly add), all-loving God rule our lives (and believe me it is possible only with the wholehearted accpetance of Christ in our lives)...well, perfect, perfect, perfect! Your life in God's hands has a guarantee of security like no other.^^

So where does weakness come in here?

Well, human as we are, we all have our weaknesses. It is said that it is in our most despairing moments when our weaknesses are exposed that we feel closest to God. Well, notice, people tend to call upon the Lord once they're done with trying everything they can. It is when we are in a really tight fix when we really and seriously call upon the Lord (verbally- as in, 'Diyoskopo!' or not, hehehe). Contrary to the verse, "But seek first the kingdom of God..." the human tendency is to seek the Lord last...which is of course foolish, since the best way comes from the best help for any form of trouble.

Yeah, we're all guilty of that...troubleshooting the workings of life without proper consultation, tinkering with circumstances...until our unimpressive handiwork explodes right in our faces! Hahahaha! Di ba. And we owe that to human pride, the natural rebel in us...which hinders us from realizing the best that a God-surrendered life has to offer.

But try to see the beauty of this...when man tries to do things his way, his ways go wasted, all his efforts turn out to be futile, and his weakness...his limitations as an ordinary man...are exposed for all the world- and even him- to see. Stripped of his objects of security (money, fame, power, employment, friends in high places, food, clothing, shelter, or even health...etc.), he realizes his need for expert (and I MEAN expert) help, which only comes from the Lord. When he humbles himself and allows God to work in his life by faith, that's when wonderful things happen to him...the Lord makes himself known more intimately to him as he touches his life more deeply. The Lord's power is made perfect...is seen...is known...is realized...through the man's weakness.

Precisely! How can one realize the efficiency of a bungee cord if the bungee jumper refuses to jump down and hang around with it (literally)? My point in saying that is that, in our shortcomings, our humanness, we learn to fully acknowledge and realize God's power, which transforms us if we are only willing to have faith in him who first loved us.

Application:

My aunt once told me how the worst of us are called to do God's bidding. Jesus had uneducated fishermen (who are easily scared by a storm) to get revved up for discipleship. He even had unemployed commoners (among them who are cowards, traitors, tax collectors, lepers...) for companions. Check out former profiles (I meant to say former because God has mercifully transformed them, thankfully) of God's lineup of servants: We have a murderer (Moses), adulterer and murderer (David), disobedient coward (Jonah), persecutor of Christians (Paul)...the list goes on and on...

What I am trying to point out here is that the way God can transform lives is directly proportional to how much of our lives we are willing to offer to him. Offer 5% and you get 5%. Offer 40 and you get that. Offer your whole life and you get 100% happiness. Holding back just won't do...sometimes we are even unaware that we haven't given up everything. In such case, he helps us uncover areas of our lives which need to be given up to him. He is more than willing to help us clean up...to let go.

On a personal note, nothing makes me feel more humbled than being nudged by the Lord to do his bidding of sharing the good news of Salvation to others. It is in doing this that I feel the need to totally depend on him for my high spirits and peace. When I run from him and refuse to share with him my mistakes, my sins, my past hurts and limitations...yeap, that's when my life takes a nosedive. Down the cliff of self-sufficiency. Hahaha.

"For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Amen to that!

And a concluding note:
Rom. 5:19 - "through the obedience of the One, the many will be made righteous"

Good night everyone!^^