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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)

Let us give glory to God for the grace that we have received in Christ. Much is said of God’s grace, and many today take His grace for granted, as if they can easily presume upon His gracious love toward them. Let us do no such thing lest we minimize the true nature of God’s grace and think little of the price that was paid to procure it for us. For God’s grace was purchased at the cost of the Son of God. Through His suffering and death, He won the ultimate victory for all who believe on Him. Let us never think with such insolent minds, but humble ourselves before His Majesty, the LORD Jesus Christ, and receive with trembling hands the gift for which He paid so dearly. I encourage you to read 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 for the full context today.

And as we look upon His grace today, we read in our text the words of the LORD Jesus, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Tested and tormented, the Apostle Paul pleaded with the LORD to remove the troublesome condition that plagued his life. We read in 2 Corinthians 12:7, “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”

The LORD used Paul with great effectiveness and revealed many wonders to the apostle. Yet, that came at the price of a reoccurring difficulty that he described as a “thorn.”