Grace.

A verse that has really been on my heart today is in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10:

But 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 of my weaknesses, so 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.

I wanted a better understanding of this, besides it's more obvious meaning.. I read a couple commentaries online and this is what I found. 

The Greek word for grace is "charisit", which refers to divine favor, divine blessing, define benefit. We constantly live in grace. We are surrounded by The Lord's grace. It is sufficient for us. Everything we have, everything The Lord has given to us, we do not deserve. We have not earned it, but The Lord has willed to give it. And because of The Lord's love for us, we stand and live in grace. We have been given an abundance of grace. 

It's interesting to look at my own life now, and observe how gracious I am. It isn't even a minuscule fraction of how gracious The Lord is. I don't deserve His grace, but he has given it to me willingly. And to think that I even question whether a person who has treated me wrong deserves grace. If The Lord can forgive me, a sinful being as I am, then I have no reason to not be able to show that grace to others. 

Admidst suffering and the trials that we face, whether large or tiny, The Lord wants to use those moments to humble His children. Humility is the ultimate virtue. Whereas pride is the ultimate sin. All sins stem from pride. When I read this, I have to admit I questioned that at first. I didn't think all sins were a result of pride. But when I thought it through, it's so true. Jealousy, gossip, slander, lies... They all stem from pride. And when it comes down to it-- I realize how prideful I can be sometimes. I long to be like Jesus. The son of God wasn't even proud, and how much he had the right to boast about who he was. 

Humility starts with being broken. It requires us to not think more highly of ourselves than we should. It requires us to consider others better than ourselves. It requires us to have the humble mind of Christ. 

I find it so easy to congratulate myself when things in life go well. To thank no one but myself. And when times are tough, I look to blame everyone but myself. That's pride. That's selfishness. I need to start looking at trials as a gift. It sounds silly, but honestly that's what they can be if you let them. 

For instance, God uses suffering to draw us to Himself. In times of great trials, our prayer lives are enriched. God uses suffering to display His grace. The Lord may answer not by removing the problem, but by increasing the grace which then increases our confidence in our salvation and in the presence of God and the goodness of God. 

God also uses suffering to perfect His power. The suffering that humbles you, when you have no idea where to go, that's when you give yourself completely to God, that's when you really become powerful. 

The commentary I read was one by John MacArthur and it really gave me a different and better understanding of this verse. It also gives me a different perspective on problems I will face in life. If I face a trial and ultimately it leads me closer to The Lord, how could I not be thankful! Which brings me to this verse:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 

Phil 4:4

It's so true though. We need to rejoice in The Lord always. In wonderful times, and in tough times, The Lord loves us and wants the best for us. And He knows what that is! And that may mean that we experience difficult situations but how much better if we can see the good through them, and draw closer to the Lord through them! 

The gracious Lord loves us and cares for us, let's strive to be more like Him daily.