“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
Maybe your experience is different, but sometimes for me things don’t go so smooth, or as planned. Sometimes there are bumps in the road. Little surprises that appear like pot holes… at night… on a sharp turn. They just can’t be avoided.
And if you are like me you try to understand why God would allow such things to happen.
You may even try to remember all of the encouraging things people have said about suffering or trials or temptation. I know that these are not typically associated with word “encouraging,” but who wants to hear discouraging words when you’re going through them?
I find that I recite the promise of the above scripture often… reassuring myself that He will not push me to my limit… that in all of this I am receiving a left-handed compliment… a “Job-ism” if you will.
I know that in order to build more strength you must be pushed to that limit.
But then I began to realize…
That would still be my strength… my limit… my growth… if even from Him.
Yes, He would be making me or you or anyone else stronger… but I don’t think His goal is to necessarily have us demonstrate our strength…
But for Him to demonstrate His.
I realized that I can’t read the above scripture apart from the following:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
When God looks at you… He no longer sees you… He sees Christ.
And Christ has no limitations… He has no end.
There is nothing He can’t handle.
And He wants you to know it.
God doesn’t push you to your limit…
He pushes you past it…
so you can begin to see that He does not have them… and He doesn’t want them for you.
Because it is only after you are beyond yourself… your limits… your strength… that you can be certain that He is in total control. That is it not you striving.
While we may know all along that it is Him… that we cannot do it alone… it is only when we are beyond our strength and into our weakness that His strength is made perfect.
People have a backward thinking… generally they think that weakness comes before strength. But it doesn’t. Strength is first. Weakness is last. Weakness is when you have used up your strength.
When it is incomplete.
Imperfect.
But that is when we realize why He pushes us past our limit and our limitations into our weakness…
Because it is in our weakness that His strength is made complete… made perfect.
“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
So when trials, temptations, pain, suffering, discouragement, struggle, distraction… and whatever else… come your way realize that this is just God bringing you past your limit so you can experience the place of no limitations…
His Grace.
“When I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
When I allow Him to take me past my limitations… I find myself with Him… the One without limitations.
SDG
Good to hear this... For I find myself continually being pushed to my limits, to go beyond. But I do/did have some doubts. As of what really happens if I allow myself to go beyond my limits. God will come in, in His power and I will ride the wave, or I just fall once I cross that line. I will do it though, because I choose to do so. I just have to more fully digest that theory and knowledge is crossing the threshold into practice & knowing. I believe I am meant to cross that line solo. At least it seems that way. God is with me,He always is, but solo as humanly walking through it. Ok, I'll do it....
ReplyDeleteSeems like the "normal" human questions like "what do a choose as a career, where would I like to be in x amount of years, should I search to get married? etc... Seems like I should put those thoughts aside to put my full focus on doing God's will. Roll the dice and see if my "inner reality" is indeed correct. Have to use all my mind, focus, heart, faith to press on through pass my own strength to overcome "all" obstacles, seen and unseen. To rise above satan and all forms of deception. I don't want to murmur and complain like others did for forty years. It does seem weird to forfeit "normal" human tangible goals in life for a vision in the abstract, based somewhere in conceptual thinking, some experiences and a degree of faith. The fear in not doing it is greater than the fear of doing it. My personal power I can claim as my own is the power to choose... even there we need God's help to make right decisions...
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