"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness," 2 Corinthians 12:9.
That's what Jesus said.
What it means is that all we need comes from Jesus' grace. His grace-the good granted to us even though we did not earn or merit it-is sufficient.
We're also hearing that we are made perfect-actually made complete-because His strength replaces our weakness and inadequacies.
What do you think about that?
It's almost too good to be true from our human perspective...strength instead of weakness...sufficiency instead of insufficiency...but since Psalms 84:11 says, "The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right," maybe we could be more inclined to believe it.
Basically, between the two texts we are hearing that God's grace is sufficient as we live each day, and everything good is provided as we do what is right.
But wait a second! Is there a condition attached?
What does it mean "do what is right"? I thought God's grace was sufficient.
Is doing what is right a checklist of behavior, or something else?
Let's let scripture inform our answer to this question...
In Luke 9:23 Jesus says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."
Could "doing what is right" actually be about coming to Jesus, being like Jesus, and following Jesus, and not about check-list behavior?
Also, if God's grace is sufficient and His strength is made perfect in our weakness, then, could "doing what is right" actually mean accepting His strength and grace in place of what we bring to the table?
Wow!
If 2 Corinthians 12:9 is saying that it is possible to be quieted of all the striving, fighting, coveting, and performing by taking rest in the grace of our Good God; and if Psalms 84:11 is saying that God will withhold nothing from His children; and if Luke 9:23 is saying that a desire to be with Jesus means to let go of our own ambitions...maybe it means that by taking up "His cross daily" we would be made perfect daily, and this would actually be "doing what is right."
Jesus' twist on living is a whole new way of understanding our life experience.
Don't know about you, but doing life God's way actually seems easier than fighting and striving every day on our own.
What would happen if, in 2018, we actually let God quiet us and complete us as we rely on Him for everything?
As we continue to move through the first few weeks of this new year, let's make a resolution to move the knowledge of God's grace from an intellectual understanding to a real-life experience of satisfying sufficiency, day-in-and-day-out.
After all, isn't that what Jesus already said He'd do?
