Soul Devotional - June 13, 2014
The Blessings of Needing God
2 Corinthians 3:2-6
2.The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 3 Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.Paul never claimed he was capable of accomplishing all that God called him to do. He learned to look beyond his own short comings to the power of Christ. If we'll adopt the same practice, we, too, can discover the blessings hidden in our own experiences of need.
Our weakness drives us to God. When we realize a situation is bigger than we can handle, we're quick to open the Bible and pray for guidance and power.
Our reliance on God relieves us of the burden doing it by ourselves. God has us right where He wants us--at the end of our rope with nothing left to give.We'll never be “enough” until we draw from the Holy Spirit's strength. He does in and through us what God never intended that we do on our own.
By using weak, imperfect people, God demonstrates what great things He can do. He actually loves choosing unlikely people to carry out His plan. There's no limit to what He can do through someone willing to give Him full control.
Needing God challenges our faith.Paul says, "Our adequacy is from God" (v. 5). Those who focus on the reliability of this promise and step out in obedience will grow in faith.
Why go through all the fear, pressure, and frustration that accompany feelings of not measuring up when there's an alternative? Let Jesus make you perfect for any challenge: count on Him and allow Christ to live in and through you. He will replace your anxiety with contentment.