We have a will given to us freely by God, and we talk about willpower. We think by our willpower we can overcome things. And maybe can for a while. But God gives us a will and he wants us to use it to submit to him–admitting powerlessness and weakness, understanding our deep need for mercy and grace.
He gives it, and then we find a new will power–not our own but God’s. It’s divine power to do God’s will through our humble posture of weakness. From that position, we cooperate with God’s Spirit. Galatians 5:13-26 is a good place to think through this idea. Then listen to 2 Corinthians 12, where Paul is wrestling with his “thorn in the flesh.” He asks God to remove it, and the Lord refuses. Paul describes what happened:
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. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
—2 Corinthians 12
That first step–the admission of weakness and powerlessness–is vital in allowing God to empower us to do his will.
No comments:
Post a Comment