Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 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. ¹⁰ 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.

(This post is a bit tongue in cheek)

I had never really understood what Paul was talking about in this passage until 2002. There has been much conjecture about what Paul is describing in this passage – what exactly was he being tormented with – but it is now absolutely clear to me. He is absolutely, unequivocally, and decidedly talking about…

KIDNEY STONES!!

I have never heard a better description of those little boogers than what Paul gives.

1) “a thorn in my flesh”  – if you have experienced an ATTACK then you know exactly what I’m talking about. These tiny little thorns are capable of making grown men cry and reducing them to shriveled up balls of humanity that lie in fetal positions in the middle of public spaces. Trust me – I know of that which I speak.

2) “a messenger of Satan” – it is as if the evil one has developed the perfect weapon designed to cause God’s image bearers to curse the day that they were born. I realized back in 2002, perhaps for the first time, that my salvation was indeed real and that sanctification was indeed taking place in my life when I did NOT revert back to the language of my B.C. days and cuss up a storm of foulness – but believe you me I was mighty tempted.

3) “Three times I pleaded with the Lord” – If ever there was an understatement then this is it. Pleaded! Begged! Implored! Beseeched! Just take it away or kill me right now. There are many things that I want to ask God about one day: Why did you make mosquitos? Why do I not have hair on my head but do have it in so many other places? And what were you thinking when you created those little nephritic terrors?

This much, however, I do know… God’s grace is indeed sufficient for me. An no matter what comes my way in this lifetime, the Lord will sustain me because His promise to me is that He “will be with me”… even when the dreaded kidney stones march boldly through my body.

Verse 1: Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
Verse 58: Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

As I pondered these verses I started thinking about some of the things about God and Scripture that I consider really good news (gospel). These are all reasons why I am willing to take my stand on the gospel and give myself to the work of the Lord – knowing that it is not in vain. I will list them without a lot of commentary – each one is worth thinking deeply about.

1. God is Sovereign – He is in control even when things seem like they are out of control.
2. We were created on purpose and for a purpose.
3. Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
4. There will indeed one day be a reckoning.
5. Heaven is real and one day those who believe will find everlasting joy in the presence of God.
6. God has promised to be with us as we walk through the difficult days of this life.
7. God is at work to redeem our suffering.
8. The Bible is the inerrant Word of God and is God’s primary way of nourishing and feeding our souls.
9. Grace is indeed amazing and abundant and free. There is nothing I need to do to secure favor from God.
10. In the midst of chaos and craziness there is a peace that surpasses all understanding that cannot be explained to unbelievers.

 

 

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Here are a few questions that this passage provokes me to ponder. I will leave them without commentary because they are pretty convicting in and of themselves…

Does God consider sexual sin any different than other sin, and if so, why?

What are some practical ways that we can flee sexual immorality?

What comes under the category of sexual immorality?

Am I involved in anything that would be considered sexually immoral?

What kind of shape is my temple in?

What would the Holy Spirit have to say to me about the shape of my temple?

In what ways do I act as if my body belongs to me and not to God?

What changes do I need to make in this regard?

What can I do to better “glorify God in my body”?

 

 

 

There is lots of good stuff in First and Second Thessalonians – but I have always been drawn to the impromptu blessings that Paul gives in these 2 epistles. Here they are:

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13
¹² May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. ¹³ May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

2 Thessalonians 3:16
¹⁶ Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

I will often use these to help me pray for other other people. There seems to be a Pauline blessing for pretty much any circumstance that people are dealing with. I just personalize them as I am praying. This is an easy way to pray the Scriptures. For instance, if I was praying for my friend Louie, who’s life had been turned upside down because of a job loss or marriage difficulty or health issues I might pray 2 Thessalonians 3:16 like this…

“Father, on behalf of Louie, because You are the Lord of peace, I ask that You would be his peace and give him peace as he deals with _____________. May he recognize that You are with him throughout every step of the day.”

Here are a few more of Paul’s blessings that I will use as I pray:

Romans 15:13

¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (may or may not be of Paul)

²⁰ Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep,²¹ equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

And here is one that I made up based on the way I saw Paul blessing the people that he cared about:

May the God of all joy fuel your soul with the hope of the glorious gospel and fill you with an abiding sense of His presence. And may you be refreshed by His Spirit as you trust in Him to satisfy your every desire and need.