Do Not Despise Thy Weakness

Most of the people that I meet in ministry assume that they minister most effectively from their strengths.    After all,  when a pulpit committee begins to question a perspective pastor the committee will often focus on that pastor’s strengths,  glancing over the weaknesses,  but primarily focusing on the strengths that that pastor brings to the table.   Strengths that will benefit the church, and help  whatever situation they just gone through.

 much of what we read in the past oral training field has to do with our strengths.   The focus is on becoming a better leader,  presenting polished sermons,  leading effective evangelism and prayer ministries.  None of which I necessarily disagree with.  So, please do not misunderstand my intentions on posting this blog.   

However, that’s a wrong assumption and a perverted vision of “spiritual gifts.”   Contrary to popular thought,   What we find throughout the Scriptures  is that we minister most effectively from our weakness. 

Paul was writing to the church of Corinth and he relayed this truth to that church from Christ himself.   Listen to what Jesus told Paul:  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

You see beloved the power of God is not made perfect in our strengths,  but rather in our weaknesses. I realize that this goes against the grain of everything we read and are taught,  but I wholly believe it is a  spiritual, scriptural  teaching.

This understanding led Paul to minister differently.   He operated from a different perspective, maybe just maybe that is why he was so powerful.   The words of Christ gave him strength so much so Paul declared to that  Corinthian church:

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 
(2 Cor. 12:10)

How many of us  have truly learned to delight in weakness?  How many of us truly embrace insults as that which makes a strong?   How many of us go through a hardship understanding that God is at work to produce something of eternal value in our lives?   Do we prize persecutions as a gift from God?   Or do we pray,  that God would quickly removes these things that He’s placed in our lives to produce his glory?  

 If we have the wrong attitude in our weakness is quite possible in ministry we will not bless the church but we will burden it.

 As I write this blog am reminded of the apostle Peter and his words in his first  letter:

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  (1 Peter 1:6-7)