Paul's Thorn and Yours

Paul's Thorn and Yours
By Eddie Smith

How short-sided we tend to be. Some actually believe that
anything less than a pain-free, trouble-free life is a reflection
of spiritual failure; either our failure or God's. But let's look
a little deeper.

The Apostle Paul suffered torment from a messenger (an angel) of Satan that was so painful it's referred to as a "thorn in his flesh."

Three times Paul asked God to remove it, and three times God said, "no." One might ask, "How could it possibly benefit Paul or even the Kingdom of God for Paul to remain in pain?"

The Lord told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." And Paul resigned himself to God's denials by saying, "Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may overshadow me" (2 Cor. 12:9). God demonstrated His power and His glory through Paul's suffering, not by removing it.

Beyond that, consider this. Had God removed "the thorn" in
Paul's flesh, he would have temporarily freed from his
discomfort, but would have severely limited Paul's spiritual development.

Instead, in God's inifite wisdom, He went beyond Paul's three
requests. He extended grace sufficient for the thorn; grace that could easily extend to other areas of Paul's life and to other lives, like yours and mine today! God actually enlarged Paul's capacity to handle discomfort! To Paul, godliness with contentment was great gain.

We all have a thorn. It's our choice, we can whine or we can win. We can't do both. What is your thorn producing today for the kingdom?