The Lord said to me, “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, then my power is made perfect in you.” So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me. – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (Life Application Study Bible)
Jesus Tells Us; When you don’t have enough of something, you need time, energy, money, consider yourself blessed. Why? Because when you need something that you cannot get for yourself, you’re more likely to realize what you actually need the most: Me. You learn to depend on Me. This world tells you that if you depend on anyone, you are weak. But the world has it all wrong. Depending on Me doesn’t make you weak. It allows Me to make you strong!
Jesus Concludes; Because, when you feel weak and empty inside, then there is plenty of room for Me to fill you up with my Power.
-2 Corinthians 12:9; James 1:2; Study Notes
Footnotes -2 Corinthians 12:9; Although God did not remove Paul’s physical affliction, he promised to demonstrate his power in Paul. The fact that God displays his power through our weaknesses should give us courage and hope. As we recognize our limitations, we will depend more on God for our effectiveness rather than on our own energy, effort, or talent. Our limitations and weaknesses not only help develop Christian character but also deepen our worship, because in admitting them, we affirm God’s strength.
Passage James 1:2; Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.
Footnotes James 1:2-4; We can’t really know the strength of our character until we see how we react under pressure. We may find that being kind to others is easier when everything is going well, but will we still be kind when others treat us unfairly? God wants to develop us into complete human beings, not simply insulate us from all pain. Enduring through trials generates a whole person seasoned, experienced, well developed, and fully trained. It gives us the life skills to see our blind spots and anticipate mistakes before we make them. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth. Ask God for wisdom to help you solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems, he will stay close and help you grow. Thank him for walking beside you in rough times.
Jesus Tells Us is from the Jesus Calling 365 devotions for kids.
THE WORLD…we see history
Rev. Abiel Leonard
REV. ABIEL LEONARD. PREACHED EXODUS 14:25, THEY SAW THE DORCHESTER HEIGHTS EXODUS OF 11,000 BRITISH TROOPS
In March 1776, an unusual set of weather patterns in Boston saved the Continental Army, propelled the Colonies onward toward the momentous events of July, and shifted the War from New England to the Middle Atlantic region. Here’s what happened. The Siege of Boston in April 1775, represented the opening chapters of the revolutionary War, with the battles at Lexington and Concord, then at Bunker and Breeds Hills. George Washington, the new commander of the Continental Army, arrived in Boston to assess the threat. Gazing down from Prospect Hill, he saw the British fleet anchored in the harbor and the city occupied by Redcoats. Washington was up against the strongest military force in the world, and his own army was little more than an untrained mob. To the south, Dorchester Heights was a low hill with commanding views of Boston and its harbor. In a risky gambit, Washington decided to seize this ground. On the evening of March 4th, 1776, his troops began moving into place, using haystacks to shield their movement. Eight hundred men led the way, followed by wagons packed with spades, crowbars, hatchets, hammers, and nails. Behind there were tree hundred oxcarts of materials and twelve hundred men, followed by cannons and heavy siege guns brought from Fort Ticonderoga.
The WORD…we see Jesus, His Story!
The weather conditions were perfect for the Americans. On the Heights, they found mild temperatures and the moon “shining in its full luster,” but at the lower elevations a deep smoky haze fell across the bay, hiding them from the British. The wind blew from the southwest, carrying the sound of their work away from the city. And the frozen ground became an asset once ruts were made for the wagons, giving them solid ground instead of muddy paths. When the sun rose the next morning, March 5th, the British were stunned to see Dorchester Heights occupied and fortified by the Americans as if by magic. General Howe reportedly swore and said, “The rebels have done more in one night than my whole army would have done in nine months.” Another British officer felt the defenses had been “raised with an expedition equal to that of the Genie belonging to Aladdin’s Wonderful Lamp.” British cannon fire couldn’t reach the elevation of the American positions, but British ships were vulnerable to American cannonballs from the Heights. The British, with superior training and numbers, made plans to storm the Heights, and throughout the day Washington watched with apprehension, riding up and down the lines, reminding the soldiers that March 5th was the anniversary of the Boston Massacre. Meanwhile, his men kept strengthening the fortifications as General Howe prepared his attack. Suddenly the weather shifted dramatically. The balmy day became blustery, and then tempestuous. What was later described as something of a hurricane lashed the harbor, with gale-force winds, strong enough to break windows in the city and blow down fences in the countryside. British boats and ships were tossed like driftwood and unable to mount an offensive. Fierce snow and blowing sleet made it impossible to scale the Heights. Unable to attack, the British had no choice but to evacuate Boston, leaving large caches of weapons and ammunitions behind. When news reached Philadelphia, celebrations broke out, augmenting the energy that led to July’s Declaration of Independence. The British evacuation day was March 17th, 1776. St Patrick’s Day. From his vantage point on Dorchester, Washington watched the eleven thousand British troops depart and ordered an extra gill of whiskey for his soldiers with Irish roots. Washington, however, wasn’t in a mood for celebrating but for worshipping. He and his officers rode over to Cambridge to attend a thanksgiving service where Rev. Abiel Leonard, chaplain of the Continental Army, preached from Exodus 14:25; “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.” Exodus 14 is the story of the parting of the Red Sea. As the Egyptian soldiers saw the children of Israel marching safely through the waters, while the waves came crashing down on Pharaoh’s troops, they were filled with panic, for they saw the hand of God fighting for Israel. Even at this early stage of the Revolution, the American Patriots sensed God was fighting for them. Washington felt that way too. A few days later, contemplating the moonlight on the mountain, the fog in the bay, the storm from nowhere, and the marvel of a strategy that achieved success without bloodshed, he wrote his brother, John, saying: “That this most remarkable interposition of Providence is for some wise purpose, I have not a doubt.”
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