What Is Your Thorn?

​2 Corinthians 12:7-9 -  "… Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. 8 Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me."
 

• Many Types Of Thorns 

In our scripture text this morning Paul is allowing us to know that he has some type of handicap. He calls it "a thorn in the flesh". Something bothered him on a daily basis and he prayed no make that he pleaded with God three times to take it away from him.
 
God said, "My Grace is sufficient for you."
 
In other words, come on Paul man up will you, great day in the morning it isn't killing you and we both know what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger.
 
Not only wouldn't it kill him it would make God's power perfected in Paul's weakness.
 
Paul has a change of attitude and then makes this concluding statement - "I will most gladly boast all the more about my weakness, so that Christ's power may reside in me."
 
How about us? Are we dealing with any "thorns in the flesh" today?
 
Many people like to speculate about what Paul's thorn in the flesh was but does it really matter?
 
What matters is he changed his attitude about it after God informed him that God's grace was sufficient and that God's power was perfected through Paul's weakness. 

• So The Big Question Is 

We need to ask ourselves this question - Is God's Grace Sufficient for us? Is it possible that God's power can be perfected through our weaknesses? The answer to both of those questions is "Yes".
 
God's grace is sufficient for us and His power is perfected through our weakness.
 
Do we really want to glorify God through our physical being?
 
I would say that we do but we don't always know how to accomplish that. The answer is we may have to glorify Him through some type of suffering or some type of thorn in the flesh.
 
I have seen Christians with all types of thorns in the flesh that glorified God with them. People have been blind, had missing limbs, health issues of all types, and one preacher friend on mine passed over 300 kidney stones. But God used them to bring honor and glory to His name.
 
I can testify having passed two kidney stones that I have never felt anything more painful. He prayed that God would correct his body so that he didn't have to keep passing kidney stones but God never removed that thorn from his flesh.

• God Knows What's Best

One thing we learn as we mature in our Christian faith is this - We won't always get what we want. Our prayers will not always be answered the way we want and that is okay.

Moses didn't get the answer he wanted to his prayer.
 
Paul didn't get the answer to his prayer that he wanted and Jesus didn't get the answer that He wanted to His prayer.
 
So the way I see it we are in good company if all our prayers don't get answered the way we want them to be answered.
 
People have asked for years this question -What is their purpose here on earth? According to this passage of scripture our purpose is not to "exalt" ourselves and to allow God's power to be perfected through us.
 
Some of us may have thorns in our flesh and some of us may not but we all are to allow our physical bodies to "Glorify God" with them.

Think About These:

Conceit is what makes a little squirt think that he's a fountain of knowledge.
 
Don't find fault with what you don't understand.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word