II Corinthians 12:6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
There is no reward for being a fool. The Biblical definition of a fool is one who denies the reality of the true God. Every human being ever born of a man and a woman has been a fool from birth. Most remain in that state. A few turn to God and choose to believe in Him and pass from death until life.
Paul did not want to be a fool. He did not want to glory in himself. Paul did not want others to think more highly of himself than was worthy. Paul had once been a very proud man. He was a Pharisee who sat at the feet of Gamaliel, a Pharisee who was well respected, though a false teacher. Paul, who was Saul at that time, was well trained by this heretic. Saul chose not to know better at that time. However, due to God’s love for mankind, He intervened in Saul’s life and Jesus Christ stopped him on the road to Damascus and confronted him with his foolishness. Saul was fighting a losing battle, and God wanted to give him another opportunity to see that and to turn to Him for salvation. Saul chose to listen that time, and he was gloriously saved. He spent three days as a blind man, not seeing anything and not eating anything. He was not in his home town and had no friends to call upon during that time.
God chose a man named Ananias to go and speak to Saul and to pray for him, that he might receive his sight. Ananias was reluctant to do that at first. He knew the reputation that Saul had. He was afraid for his life. God assured him that Saul was a changed man and Ananias went and did as the Lord asked him to do.
Saul received his sight and he was given a work to do. He was to be prepared to minister primarily to the Gentiles but also to the Jews. God changed his name to Paul, further demonstrating His ownership of those who are truly saved. Paul did not regret the change that God made in his life. He became a willing servant of the true God.
In verse 7 Paul wrote about the need for humility in his life. He experienced some things that few other saints would experience. He was given an abundance of revelations. He could have allowed that to go to his head and he could have assumed he was superior to others. He might have been like the modern day Charismatic leaders or the modern day New Evangelical leaders or many others. They think they are just a little better than others. They prove that by by-passing the Word of God and making up their own religion as they go and deceiving millions with their lies.
Paul was not like that and God did not want him to ever be like that. God knew Paul better than he knew himself. He knew that even though Paul was a child of God, the old nature was still there and could lead Paul into sin. Thus God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh. We do not know what that was. Some people assume it was poor eyesight, but we really do not know what it was. We do know that this messenger of Satan was there to keep Paul from exalting himself above measure.
God does not want His children to think poorly of themselves. He wants His children to understand that their worthiness is found in Christ. The “greatest” achievement a saved person might assume to accomplish is nothing without Christ and since it is of Christ, there is nothing to boast about.
God raises up certain men to be evangelists, pastors, and teachers. He raises up certain individuals to be doctors and nurses and mechanics and farmers, etc.
God equips people with certain abilities. He wants each person to know Him first of all and then to develop that ability/talent for His glory.
Paul knew he had this thorn, and he asked God to take that away from him. He asked three times, but the answer was always “no”. Paul was content with that no and understood the reason for it. He was told that God’s grace was sufficient for him and that His strength was made perfect in weakness.
What people needed to see was Christ living in and through the apostle Paul.
That is the same thing that people need to see today. They do not need to see degrees and that their pastor has been to some prestigious school or something. They need to see that their pastor is a humble servant of God who knows how to listen to God and how to teach the whole counsel of God without apology. That is what every born again Christian needs. That is also what the lost need to hear.
Paul was content to accept God’s grace as being sufficient for him. He wanted to glorify God, not himself. His name is often mentioned in the New Testament, but that was God’s choice, not his.
Paul learned to take every challenge God gave him as an opportunity to grow in Him. That is an important lesson for every true child of God to learn. We find it easy to grumble and complain. We need to learn to be thankful for the privilege of learning how to walk as a true child of God, once we are saved.
I remember some years back when I was dealing with the aftermath of a serious injury. At the time, I wondered if I would ever walk again. I remember talking to my father and complaining to him about my current situation and I was rather pessimistic at that time. My father was not one to beat around the bush and he helped me to see that life was not that bad and that I needed to change my perspective on life. I needed to hear that and it helped me to look at my current situation differently. It took some time, but God did restore health to me so that I could walk again and work and do many things.
God was working in my life to help me to listen more closely to Him and to be willing to honour Him regardless of my lot in life. I still have things to learn, but I know that God knows what I need better than I do. He wants to perfect me so that I can be a better servant of His. That is His design for every one of His children.
If you are one of His children today, you should not need to be told that the right place for you to be today is in a true local church. There are some who are not faithful in a true local church. There are thousands who do not see the importance of a true local church. Thousands are lost and going to some false religious social club that makes them feel good in their sin. My prayer is that you will listen to the Holy Spirit and humble yourself and follow God to a true local church where you can hear the truth and be saved and begin to know the peace of God in your heart. He loves you and wants you to know His peace and blessing. Don’t shortchange yourself.
Pastor Bartel