7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10That 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 12:7-10
There has been much talk about what Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was. I’m not sure that the point was what that thorn was, otherwise scripture would have told us. The point is that it was given to Paul to keep him from being conceited.
Conceited (according to Webster): having or showing an excessively high opinion of oneself.
God would rather have us tormented than be conceited. Wow. Maybe thinking too highly of ourselves is so repulsive to God that he will take extreme measures to hold us back. It is in that torment that we find grace and power. How ironic that we become conceited when we think we have the power in ourselves. God breaks us down to the point that we have power that comes from Christ.
God, help me empty myself. May your perfect power live in me. Keep me from being conceited.
[tags]devotions, 2 Corinthians, Bible, Paul[/tags]
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Scott Aikin
12 Apr 2007Funny how he only asks 3 times, too. I\’ve asked way more than that for some things.
God bless,
~Scott
Cheryl
12 Apr 2007I believe, attimes, we all need help with this! I think it is a thing that if you are living, you will have your moments of being conceited. Lord please help us to not be conceited and to depend on you!