His Grace is Sufficient

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
2 Co 11:21–29
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His Grace is Sufficient
Paul’s trials were severe: beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, hunger, and the constant anxiety for the churches. Yet he refuses to boast in his achievements or endurance. Instead, he highlights his sufferings, demonstrating his weakness. Why? Because in weakness, the power of Christ shines brightest. The world prizes strength and self-sufficiency, but Paul points us to the cross, where Christ Himself embraced weakness. The Son of God, who could summon legions of angels, willingly bore the shame of the cross to save us from sin and death. In His humiliation, we find our exaltation. Paul’s hardships remind us that the Christian life is not marked by worldly success but by dependence on Christ. When we are weak, His grace is sufficient. In suffering, His strength is made perfect. Rejoice, then, in your trials, for they reveal Christ’s power at work in you, sustaining you with His life-giving cross.
 
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