Read 2 Corinthians 12:9–21

Today’s Scripture: I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.… For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9–10

God does not give us His grace simply to help us endure our sufferings.

God’s grace should enable us to rise above our circumstances and cause our afflictions to work for us in accomplishing positive good.

What benefits did Paul receive? He experienced the power of Christ in

his life. God transformed Paul’s weakness into strength.

Something else happened to Paul as a result of his suffering: He was able to glorify God in his infirmities. This does not mean that he preferred pain to health, but rather that he knew how to turn his infirmities into assets.

What made the difference? The grace of God and the glory of God. Paul

delighted in these trials and problems because he knew he was suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 12:10). “It is a greater thing to pray for pain’s conversion than its removal,” wrote P. T. Forsyth. Paul won the

victory, not by substitution but by transformation. He discovered the

sufficiency of the grace of God (v. 9).

Something to Ponder

How would your spiritual life be different if you focused more on

converting pain than on asking God to completely remove it?