Scripture quotes here are from the New King James translation. All else is original, which I am writing now . . . thanks to God, however He pleases to get credit.
Our Apostle Paul says he had "a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure." This is in 2 Corinthians 12:7. And then he says, "Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times, that it might depart from me." (2 Corinthians 12:8) And ones are quite concerned about this > if Paul with such miracle working power could not make this thorn "thing" go away. I have been with someone who just was mentioning "Paul's thorn", and he sounded shaky, just thinking about how hard it might have been, feeling how he would not be able to handle such a problem . . . worrying what might happen to him if **he** were required to have such a problem like Paul had.
But I will offer > it was not a thing to be measured by how "hard" it was. It was a "messenger of Satan" . . . one of his devils, I would offer. And because Paul was high in the leadership authority of Christ's church, he was assigned a devil with various powers to buffet Paul > to test Paul with punches and combinations to see if that demon could find any weak spots.But only while Paul was acting in his own ego . . . only then was when the devil could be effective. If and while Paul was acting in his own ego, that thorn could parry right past Paul's defenses, and then **pop** would go that puffed-up pride; and that thorn with its hypodermic tube could then inject Paul with nasty anger and unforgiveness and worry and damage-control hurry and bitterness and frustration and embarrassment that he could give in to that stuff > toxic stuff which can get going in any of us, whenever we are getting into workaholic, "type-A", make-it-happen, and lording-over ministering.
Paul was not at first getting the message of that messenger's messing! And Jesus was not about to do a miracle of convenience, but what worked was Paul had a little talk with Jesus > Paul needed not to try to get Jesus to answer to him, but he needed to answer to Jesus.
"And he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'" (in 2 Corinthians 12:9)
God's grace would be enough for Paul, in any situation. God's almighty power of grace could easily and breezily and beautifully burn that Satanic being away from Paul, along with all its toxic emotional stuff and stinking thinking > "For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29). And God's grace . . . favor, indeed . . . would favor changing Paul in his character so he would stay submissive to God in how our Father's peace rules us in our hearts > as it is written, and given to us through Paul >
"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful." (Colossians 3:15)
So, grace is not only for solving our own troubles, and getting rid of emotionally troubling things; But God in us favors changing our character so we are like Jesus who in us ***shares with us*** how Jesus is so pleasing to our Father, and submissive to our Father, while loving us as family and caring for even enemies. "My little children, for whom I labor again in birth until Christ is formed in you," (Galatians 4:19) Yes, this grace favors how Jesus is and loves ! ! ! and so shares this with us, as we are more and more cured in God's own love >
"Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4:17)
The grace of God's almighty peace "will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus," we have in Philippians 4:6-7. Yes - - - plus > in this grace of peace, not only do we have God's own almighty immunity being shared with us against any and all sin-sick stuff, but with our Creator we share with Him in His own creativity for how to love any person, at all. Plus, this is in all-loving love so that what we do can and will have our Father's all-loving benefit ministering to all. This includes how our Father uses our weaknesses and inadequacies and any troubles as ***tools*** for producing His all-loving good . . . not what we can do in our egos, to say the least! > not in our own human free wills >
"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13)
"to this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily." (in Colossians 1:28-29)
At every moment while we do things in God's grace, God's redeeming almighty creativity exceeds all that is possible with humans. So often, I might be getting ready to do some thing, and then I get blessed to do more and better than I was thinking, just moments before. And we have such perfect rest . . . while we rest in our Father's leading and guiding in His love.
"'Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.'" (Matthew 11:29)
How do we do this? God works us to.
"Therefore submit to God." (in James 4:7)
And He does better than any of us is smart enough and trained enough to do. So, this is for anybody.
**anybody??** Yes, **anybody** ! ! ! No matter what your age or health or education or experience, right now God in His grace is able to have you doing His own good, all-loving; and we grow in this.
And so, our Apostle Paul - - - after he had a little talk with Jesus . . . got this message of that messenger's messing. He found out how this grace is the action of God's own love with God's own goodness and perfect rest and satisfaction. And so, there is such ***pleasure***, even, in this grace > no matter what we do and go through in God's grace >
"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)
A problem is, we do not submit to how God in HIs grace and rest satisfies and guides us. And so, we can share with Paul in his thorn experience, how in ego we can get out-maneuvered . . . and injected. And there can be the burn-out and stress and even depression. And what works is we can take a pit stop, not keep running ourselves ratty. And trust God to restore us to sharing with Him in His own love and leading, and then discover what He has for us to do. It can be the same thing; however, how we do it will be different, to say the least.
And only verses later, we see how Paul says he will love people unconditionally >
"And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved." (2 Corinthians 12:15)
So, I see how grace first encouraged Paul and corrected him to do things while resting in the Lord, while God' made His use of any of Paul's troubles and weaknesses and inadequacies. Plus, this grace . . . of God's own love . . . changed Paul so he would freely love > more and more abundantly, even while he was loved less and less.
And so, may we trust You, O God our Father, to so share with us. In the name of Your own Son, Jesus, amen.
