| E-MAIL SERVICE | Sign me up to receive the daily Word of Righteousness free via my E-mail address! ( ONLY AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH ) | |
| ARCHIVES | I want to check out the daily Words of Righteousness for any of the last fourteen days or from previous weeks. ( ENGLISH ONLY ) | |
| FEEDBACK | I have a question or comment about today's Word of Righteousness. ( ENGLISH AND SPANISH ONLY ) | |
| BOOK LIST | I would like to see the complete book list of the Words of Righteousness author Robert B. Thompson. (SOME SPANISH TITLES AVAILABLE ) |
The Daily Word of Righteousness
Problems and Pain, #6
To 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. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But 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 Christ's power may rest on me. (II Corinthians 12:7-9—NIV)
The Lord made Paul weak in his natural strength. Then the power of Christ served to enable Paul to do what God desired. Now it was no longer Paul but the Life of Christ that was active in his personality. By this affliction Paul changed from his normal blood-life to eternal life.
Paul did not regret this change from his natural strength to God's strength.
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. (II Corinthians 12:10—NIV)
When Paul was weak in his own strength he was strong in the strength of Christ. God's Life comes forth from our death. We do not enjoy this process and we must make an effort to keep on delighting ourselves in the Lord no matter what takes place. It is for our good that we change from corruptible life to incorruptible life just as soon as possible.
Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (II Corinthians 1:9—NIV)
How wonderful to have the sentence of death in ourselves that we should not rely on ourselves for any aspect of our life! We are to rely only on God who raises the dead. This sort of life is greatly to be desired!
Enabling Us to Minister and Bear Fruit by Resurrection-life
Problems and pain enable us to minister and bear fruit by resurrection-life. We keep getting knocked down, sometimes to the point of despairing of life. Then God raises us up by the resurrection-life of Christ. Not only is our strength changed from the human to the Divine, those around us also experience eternal life. This is because God always sends more than enough resurrection-life to lift us up, and the overflow touches other people.
God will not give His Glory to another person. Yet the Lord Jesus said He has given us the Glory that God has given Him.
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: (John 17:22—NIV)
If God will not give His Glory to another person, and Jesus said He has given us God's Glory, the same Glory given Him, then we must become an integral part of God to receive the gift of Glory. This is precisely what takes place. Our natural, adamic life is beaten down until we live only as God's power raises us up. A transfer of life takes place because of problems and pain. Then God can give us His Glory because He actually is giving it to Himself.
To be continued.