Thursday, April 19

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2 Corinthians 12:9

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.

When I was about 10 years old and playing little league baseball, I once struck out with the bases loaded to end a game. Even at 10 I was already competitive and performance driven, so my failure left me crestfallen. I felt like I had let my team down. And since my Dad was one of the coaches of the team, I felt like I had let him down too. When we got home after the game I barricaded myself in my room and I lay down in my bed and wept tears of bitter defeat.

At some point my father came into my room and sat down at the end of the bed. While I no longer remember exactly how the conversation went, I do remember that it went something like this.

My Dad said, “Tough game, huh?”

I just nodded through my tears.

Then he said, “Do you know how many home runs Babe Ruth hit in his career?”

I remember thinking that was an odd question to ask a kid who just lost the game for his team by striking out with the bases loaded! But my Dad asked me the question because he knew I would know the answer.

“714,” I said without hesitation.

Then he said, “Do you know how many times the Babe struck out in his career?”

That was one statistic I didn’t know so I shook my head.

He said, “Over 1300 times; Babe Ruth struck out almost twice as many times as he hit home runs.”

He let that sink in for a bit and then just said something like, “Every ball player strikes out, even the best! So you struck out, big deal! The important thing is to give it your best and to be willing to go up there again and try again.”

What my Dad gave me that day was the freedom to fail. What he gave me was grace. And grace gave me the permission and strength to try again – and even fail again!

The Apostle Paul says it this way:

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.

We can’t be sure what specific “weakness” Paul was referring to in his own life. From what we know of his temperament and personality it could have been pride, or perhaps anger. He may have been referring to some kind of physical ailment that sapped his strength and energy. He may have been referring to spiritual discouragement as he struggled to preach the gospel in a hostile culture. But what he wants us to know is that the grace of Christ is greater than our weakness and failure.

Do you know that? I mean, do you really know that? Everybody strikes out with the bases loaded sooner or later! You may feel like you have failed as a husband and father; you may feel like you have failed in some significant relationship or even as a Christian. And most of us have a tendency to beat ourselves up over our failures. Interestingly, one of the names of Satan in the Bible is the “Accuser.” I believe that means that our enemy seeks to use our failures against us! At our moments of weakness and vulnerability he whispers, “Look at yourself! You failed again! And you call yourself a Christian! You’re no good to God or anybody – you might as well give up!” And sometimes we listen to that voice.

But that is not the voice of Christ. Jesus says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Jesus does not use our sin or failure against us; rather, he uses our sin and failure as an opportunity to demonstrate to us the depth of his love and the power of his grace to forgive and restore!

Thank God for the gift of his grace and ask him to help you share that gift with those you love!

Pastor Brian Coffey