The Sufficiency of Grace

Grace. Mystery.

Never have two words seemed so eerily connected. There is something so uncanny about the grace of God. If you are anything like me, then you have heard probably no short of 100 different analogies, similies, or quotes....here are a few.

"Grace is what God gives us when we don't deserve anything...mercy is when God doesn't give us what we do deserve"

"Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life"

"I do not understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us"

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me....."


I could go on and on.....and on and on. (oh...and I haven't even quoted the Bible......yet)

As a senior in high school I attached this verse to my illustrious high school career as my senior quote. I have heard this verse my whole life, it's one of the few I have had memorized since my young days....

"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 that Christ's power may rest on me" - 2 Corinthians 12:9

I was pretty sure I knew what this verse meant. I had it all down. God's grace is enough for you to get by when you don't feel like gettin' by. Done. Check. Duh.

right?

I think I could say with certainty, that if you needed that application from this verse for a season or situation in your life, then it is more than attainable. But for my arrogant, puny, and feeble mind to think that I "get it" because it's so "easy to understand" is quite pathetic; in reality, it truly shortchanges what God's grace desires to accomplish in all of our lives. Not until recently have I adapted a new insight to this timeless verse.

First of all, it is important to look at the motivation in this verse. In writing to the church in Corinth, Paul has a bit of a "me" moment. In this case, Paul reminds me of...well...me. I believe I have developed a reputation for being a conversation hijacker. If you are really close to me, and have spent intentional time with me in conversation, then you know this to be true....any conversation we engage in could literally cover ANY topic imaginable. I love great conversation...but I feel as if I do not stay on point all the time. Perhaps it's a tragic flaw. I have a fidgety personality - I suppose my fidgety discussions follow suit. However, when I get to the heart of conversation, if I want to use an example, a metaphor, a story to help contribute to the topic...I tell one on myself. I know those the best. Sometimes they are embarrassing, sometimes prideful, sometimes very vulnerable; nevertheless, they are sincere...because they demand the transparency of myself, even if only a little bit.

enter Paul.

He, for a moment, becomes transparent to this church in his letter. And his transparency, is then forever used by God to speak to all of humanity.

Paul, in trying to talk about not being prideful, goes on to say he has struggles, too. He has things in his life he pleads to get rid of. He has issues.....despite of what everyone thinks about him, his missionary journeys, his wisdom, and his great works for the kingdom of God. He isn't as strong as he is made out to be....not as victorious as he is championed. And when he has a desire to boast...he is reminded of these things. But he realizes this....God never asked him to be strong. He never asked him to be perfect. He never asked him to be flawless. And Paul, pens these powerful words...

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

For fear of sounding cliche....this is a gentle reminder of the beauty of simplicity. That God, in His unbelievable wisdom, His power, His strength, His supplication, His.....everything....asks us to let HIM be exactly who He is, through exactly who we are.

And we....we are flawed, affected by sin, submitted to a curse that we did not ask for. We are inadequate - as if it were our profession. We think ourselves so far around situations that we fall short of accomplishing them. We try.... oh so hard, we pick ourselves up....oh so many times, and we find ourselves stuck in the same ruts....oh too often.

Did I say "we"....I meant "me". Maybe you can sympathize.

And it's this very feeling of inadequacy, of insecurity, of weakness, of not humility - but inability that God speaks directly to.


"My grace is sufficient for you, [Andrew]. For my power is made perfect in [your] weakness"


But you may be reading this and saying, "Andrew, I know you. You are a pretty good guy. You are a good youth pastor. I think you are being too hard on yourself".

(please note I am not referencing this thought to fuel any pride I may have...but to make a point)

It is my desire that you do get to see great things come out of my life. It is my hope, my prayer, my mission and goal that my life be a reflection of who God is and that I may be used of a servant, constantly aware of how to make others more exalted than myself....

But you need to know this.....

I didn't get there on my own.

And if you see anything....I mean ANYTHING that resembles me being good, full of character or integrity, uplifting...ANYTHING. It's a picture of the handiwork of grace.

And that is the picture that Paul is trying to paint. We can go through and look at all the great teachings, stories, testimonies of obedience lived out in Paul's life....and even brag on good ole' Paul a bit.

But in taking inventory of himself....

Paul says. I am weak. I am poor. I have struggles.

and if you see things in my life that even resemble anything of God - it's ONLY by the SUFFICIENCY of HIS awesome grace.

How is grace sufficient? That I may live a life perfectly embracing of my weakness, so that He may live a life of power and strength through me. And when that happens - perfection. Not in who I am, or what I have accomplished....no. In who HE is, and what HE is accomplish-ING.

We have to almost re-engineer our thought process:

God doesn't ask us to be strong. He asks us to be weak - so that He can be strong.
He doesn't ask us to be able. He demands that we admit we are unable - so that He can be able.
He doesn't ask that we make ourselves holy. He requires us to realize our unholiness - so that we may get a glimpse of His holiness.
He doesn't ask that we excel, achieve, or win. He asks us to understand we can't - so that He can accomplish victory through us.

He doesn't ask us to be perfect or adequate.
He shows us our imperfection.
He shows us our constant need for something to make us adequate.
He shows us we haven't earned our right at the table.

But He invites us anyway. He makes adequate our inadequacy. He perfects our imperfection.

He becomes SUFFICIENT in not just some, but ALL the ways we are insufficient.

And this, this is a picture of a perfect union.

This....is grace.

That I, in my brokenness, in my inability, in my uselessness, am loved so much - pursued so powerfully - equipped so undeservingly that you - you may get a glimpse of who God is...through who I am not. And when that happens, or if that happens...how can I take credit for it? Because all that I have done is make myself inadequately available, insufficiently useful - so that the perfection and sufficiency of who GOD is can come through - as strength - in me.

Grace. Mysterious? Maybe. Inspiring? Definitely.

To conclude, I want to use Eugene Peterson's Message version of the remainder of 2 Corinthians 12:9,10.

"Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."

Blessings.

andrew