Are You Weak or Are You Strong?

In 2nd Corinthians Paul gets a thorn stuck in his side.  He says that it is a message from Satan to torment him.  Paul pleaded to the Lord 3 times to take the thorn away.  Christ replied:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Then Paul goes on to say, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in my weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong." 

(2 Corinthians 12:8-10)

I know I almost never delight in insults, hardships, persecutions, or difficulties, but this is what Christ calls us to do. I boast about my accomplishments, about what I did well.  I know for sure that I boast about my "strengths" and my accomplishments a lot more than I boast about my weaknesses.  What I often fail to see in the midst of hardship is that Christ's grace is sufficient for me, for you, for anyone.  Christ's power is made perfect when you are weak, vulnerable, exposed, when you completely let Christ's love overcome your own pride.   Completely let your guard down and throw aside your pride.  Self-pride is going to get you nowhere. Let Christ see fully into the depths of your heart and mind.  Then Christ's power is made perfect.  In this weakness, Christ's power and love fully rests upon you and makes you strong. 

 Christ's grace is enough, End of Story.  When you are weak, then you are strong.  So the question is, are you weak or are you strong?

Is Christ Divided?

In 1st Corinthians Paul writes to the church of God in Corinth.  Paul is writing to this church about their church being divided over their leaders.  Paul writes to them, 

"I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10)."

Paul who is called to be an apostle of Christ by the will of God is telling the church of God in Corinth to be unified to not allow pointless bickering to divide people who are to love each other.  Paul goes on to write,

"What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas(Peter)'; still another, 'I follow Christ.'  Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?  Were you baptized into the name of Paul?"

Paul makes an amazing point here.  The early church of God in Corinth was already being lead astray and being tricked into following anyone but Christ.  They are then taking it a step further and allowing these differences to cause division among their church.  This division is separating them from the other members of their church.  Christ was never divided.  Christ was and is always in perfect unison with God and the holy spirit.  He brought and still brings that same unison here to Earth for us to see. So how does separation apply to today? How does unity and division apply to you and me?

Today we are still facing very similar issues.  In our world today society uses race, ethnicity, and religion, as tools and dividers to separate the people of God.  These differences in human beings should be left at differences, but the American society uses differences to divide, to separate, to say, "If we are different we cannot be friends, if you are a different religion I can't love you."  Completely False, all lies.  Who do you think is behind all of this separation?  Who is the culprit? Satan.  Satan's lies seep into the minds of the people and he tells them lies in attempt to disassemble the children of God.  I would even say that people's interests, looks, the clothes they wear are used to divide and cause separation among us.  Then stereotypes are formed and people are separated into different groups and cliches and often can't break the mold of that group.  Even extreme cases occur, when cults and hate groups are formed, all due to the belief that separation is necessary, that one human being is greater than another.  You often hear the words, "jock", "nerd", "goth", "computer geek", "queer", "loser", "emo", "prep" these are all terms used to separate.  

What does this say about the world?  Is our world upside down?  Is this what you want our society to represent and look like?

God has never used these words to judge someone or to divide people.  God knows no stereotypes, God loves equally, and does not love at the same standards our society does, his love in unconditional and never ending.  President Obama is no greater than a homeless man with no family and no assets and God loves them equally.  Not one human being is greater than another.  

Just Unity

God created every human being.  We all have the same creator and live on our creators earth.  God loves all people equally.  Despite some people not having a relationship with Christ or blocking God out of their life God still loves them, no matter what religion, race, ethnicity, or however you want to separate people.  And we are called to be Godly, Christ-like, holy, yet people are persecuted for their beliefs, why?  God loves you all the same whether you are Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, Mormon, or Wicca.  Just because someone has a different belief doesn't give you any reason not to love them.  Jesus said, "A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34)." This love Jesus speaks of here is unconditional love.  There are no exceptions in what Jesus is saying.  Why do you think there is so much war, violence, hatred?  A disregard of this commandment from Jesus.  We are all part of the same race the race of God, we are all his creations and belong to him, no exceptions, so why attack, hate, and kill our own kind?  We are all of the same blood, all created by God in this we are unified.  LOVE EVERYONE.