|
Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
October 21
Click on verses for Full Scripture
|
previous - - - - - - - - - -
next
|
Today's Pathway:
|
In II Corinthians 2:16 Paul asked,
"who is sufficient for these things?".
In the verses since then he has spoken of the fact that he personally had not corrupted the Word of God, and that he needed no letters of recommendation because the change that took place in the Corinthians after his ministry there was proof of the sufficiency of his character and message. Now in verse 4 he makes sure that the Corinthians do not see him as being egotistical, for he says that the confidence ("trust") that he has comes through Christ and is focused towards God. He then states in verse 5 that on his own he is insufficient to accomplish anything for the cause of Christ. Everything that has been done through his ministry has ultimately been done by God. In verse 6 he writes that it is God Who made him an "able minister". What we see here is a man who allowed himself to be used by God to carry out the ministry that he had been given. God is the One Who deserves all the glory, and Paul is simply the faithful servant who follows and obeys Him. Paul's message and character were a result of his dependence on his all-sufficient Lord, and God used that to accomplish His will in the Corinthians. John MacArthur commented,
"Though Paul had a brilliant and highly trained mind (Acts 26:24), he did not depend on it. Nor did the apostle rely on his oratorical skills (Acts 14:12) to persuade people. Paul did not rely on his natural abilities to carry out his ministry, but instead ministered 'in demonstration of the Spirit and of power' (I Corinthians 2:4)."
What can we learn from this? It is only through the power of God that we can accomplish anything for Him. Any skills that we have were given to us by Him. The fact that we are alive at all is a gift from Him. Salvation itself is a gift from Him. It is all from, and about, the Lord. As soon as we start to think that we are something special, and we start to function in our own power, then we are heading towards failure. Warren Wiersbe wrote,
"We must be empty before we can be full. The opposite of this is self-sufficiency. Our sufficiency is not of ourselves. The world promotes self-sufficiency, yet God dwells with the person whose heart is broken (Isaiah 57:15). This means a proper attitude toward self, realizing how weak and sinful we are apart from Christ."
The men or women who see themselves as accomplishing things because of who they are rather than because of Who He is will soon find themselves unable to achieve what they could have achieved through the power of God. This fact should encourage the talented to trust in the Lord. But it also should encourage those who see themselves as less skillful. Since the power of God is sufficient, He can use us in spite of what abilities we might think that we lack. Oswald Chambers wrote,
"God can achieve His purpose either through the absence of human power and resources, or the abandonment of reliance on them. All through history God has chosen and used nobodies, because their unusual dependence on Him made possible the unique display of His power and grace. He chose and used somebodies only when they renounced dependence on their natural abilities and resources."
So, if it is all of God, do I have any responsibility at all? Certainly. It is my responsibility to put myself in a position where God can use me. Paul wrote in I Timothy 2:19-21
"Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
Be a vessel of honor, place your confidence in the Lord, and see what He can do.
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
|
|