Teaching Notes

What I Should Know About The Bible?

2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (The Message)

7-10 Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

Notes: This week we will end with the myth that bad things shouldn't happen to me.  In our world we believe that if we become a Christian that we somehow become exempt from any bad.  If we go through something, people begin to question if they are in the right religion.

Question: What does Paul say about his own afflictions?

Answer: He says that these afflictions he face are to keep him from getting the "big head" or from thinking to highly of himself.  He actually says that it is a gift.  Who would think that a difficulty is a gift?  He says it is because it keeps him humble.  He didn't accept it as first as a gift, but he said he was able to see it as such.  It was because he was able to see the strength of God at work in his life.  We must all learn to combat the myth that we will not have to go through things.  Sometimes you are told just the opposite even from well meaning Christians.  Yet, the truth is this, we do go through some difficulties in life.  The wonderful gift we have is the same one Paul had.  That gift is God's strength to get us through.

Prayer: Lord thank you for loving us enough to strengthen us through the difficulties we face in life.  We will all face some things in life, and we are thankful to you for loving us enough to keep us through them.