Look For All Your Strength in CHRIST Alone

"For when I am weak, then am I strong." -II Corinthians 12:10 [KJV]

We have read of St. Paul’s revelations, exaltings, buffetings, and his praying: now of his humbling sight of himself. He is brought down to his right place, low in self; and to his right feelings, weak in self. Hence we see the true nature and blessed end of Christian experience. It keeps the soul from being puft up with pride, lest it fall into the condemnation of the devil. It sinks it low in humility: under a sense of weakness; and it leads out of self, to look for all its strength in Christ. Here the strength of faith is opposed to the weakness of sense. When I am sensibly weak, then I am believingly strong. This, though a difficult lesson, yet is a precious one. 

(1st.) Do we see ourselves weak? Christ is held forth to us as our strength, and He calls upon us to be strong in Him. “Trust in the Lord for ever, for in the LORD Jehovah is everlasting strength” (Isaiah 26:4.) But surely, folly is bound up in the heart of the weak. For instead of obeying, and trusting in Him, how many are saying, I am the weakest of the weak? I have no might, no power? You are the very person here addressed. You can get no strength but from the Lord. By trusting in the Lord, you will say, though weak, I am strong: I have everlasting strength. 

Again, (2d.) To encourage to this, the Lord commands, “Let the weak say, I am strong” (Joel 3:10.) Let them believe it in their hearts, and confess it with their lips. What! if they find no strength in themselves? Yes; it is a command to the weak: yea, to the weakest of the weak. Then this exactly suits you and me. 

Here again, (3d.) “Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, giveth power to the faint, and to them who have no might, He increaseth strength” (Isaiah 40:28-29.) Here we are rebuked and reproved. Faint, and have no might: this is our state. Have you never heard, nor known, how the Lord dealeth with such! O look up to Him. Though not sufficient of yourself to do any thing as of yourself, know your sufficiency is of the Lord. Though we can do nothing of ourselves, yet we can do all things through Christ, Who strengtheneth us (see Philippians 4:13.) 

How do we obtain strength from Christ? By believing His promises: going to Him in the faith of them, pleading them before Him, and praying Him to fulfil them in us. Thus we put our cause upon the strength of Christ’s truth. He is faithful. He cannot deny us. He will say, “According to your faith, be it unto you.” -Matthew 9:29

 

When frames are warm & comforts strong, 

O then we’re mighty great! 

Self is the hero of our song, 

Our weakness we forget. 

Then Jesus sends some humbling stroke, 

In love, to mar our pride; 

That we may glory of His work, 

And trust in nought beside.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

JESUS - Rock of Ages

Jesus remains the same in all ages. He is the One who is constant when everything and everyone else fails. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is our R ock [I SAMUEL 2:2 ] . In the Old Testament, in Exodus 33, Jesus is pictured as the Cleft Rock. In that chapter, verse 18 and following, Moses desired to see the glory of the Lord, but was told, "You cannot see My face; for there shall no man see My face and live.” And the Lord said, “There is a place by Me, and you shalt stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and will cover you with My hand while I pass by." Notice that as Moses stood upon the rock, the Lord hid him in the cleft. This wonderfully applies to us today! Believers are both standing on and hidden in Christ [COLOSSIANS 3:3 ] . We are both in and on the Rock. As life with its many bitter events presses upon us, ...
Read more

CHRIST OUR ONLY AND PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS

" The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." —Galatians 5:17 [KJV] Christian experience fully proves this apostolic truth. Hence the children of God cannot do the things that they would: nor have we any authority from God's word to conclude this lusting ever ceased in any of the saints till they got to glory; none are delivered from it while in the flesh. For, as the renewed soul or spirit loves to enjoy spiritual and heavenly objects, so the flesh, or unrenewed part, lusts after those objects it is naturally conversant with, and from which it derives its happiness.  Here is thy conflict, O Christian. Hence the necessity of thy Lord's command, "Watch always." This is the use of the doctrine. What woeful effects have fulfilling the lusts or desires of the flesh produced in eminent saints! Thou standest by faith, be not high-minded, but fear. The conceptions of lust are the productions of sin.— see James 1:15 . The commission of sin contracts fresh s...
Read more

GLORY ALONE IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

" Lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me." -Judges 7:2 [KJV] Thus the Lord reasoned with Gideon. He knows what is in man. He sees the pride of the human heart: how prone we all are to boast in an arm of flesh. The Lord is jealous of His own glory. Gideon’s army of two and thirty thousand, is brought down to three hundred. By this handful of men, and no more, did Gideon gain the victory of the Midianites. The Lord’s wisdom in this was, “Lest Israel should vaunt themselves, and say, Mine own hand hath saved me.”   But I have not transcribed the text right. There are two little words of great import, which I have omitted. Mind then, O Christian— against Me. Now remember, whenever thou dost boast of thy power, thy free-will, thy human goodness, thy works, ditties, conditions, and performances in order to be saved, thou art then, as it were, two and thirty thousand strong. Thou vauntest thyself against the Lord . Thou art gloryi...
Read more