1 00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:06,730 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,790 --> 00:00:13,670 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. You're listening 3 00:00:13,730 --> 00:00:18,350 Speaker 1: to Daily Devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stonge, and 4 00:00:18,390 --> 00:00:23,510 Speaker 1: today's devotion is inspired by 2 Corinthians 11, verse 30, 5 00:00:23,510 --> 00:00:27,820 Speaker 1: which says, If I must boast, I will boast of 6 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:33,550 Speaker 1: the things that show my weakness. What's one of the 7 00:00:33,690 --> 00:00:38,089 Speaker 1: surest ways to fall into sin and temptation? What's a 8 00:00:38,110 --> 00:00:41,550 Speaker 1: big contributor to the downfall of many Christians who at 9 00:00:41,710 --> 00:00:45,490 Speaker 1: one point conveyed an impression that they were strong and 10 00:00:45,530 --> 00:00:49,530 Speaker 1: had their act together? One of the biggest contributors to 11 00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: that downfall is to pretend that you don't have weaknesses, 12 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:56,180 Speaker 1: to pretend that there aren't areas of temptation that you're 13 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:00,060 Speaker 1: still struggling with, or to convince yourself that you're somehow 14 00:01:00,260 --> 00:01:13,450 Speaker 1: immune to falling into sin. When we look at the 15 00:01:13,510 --> 00:01:16,669 Speaker 1: Apostle Paul's words in this passage, we can see that 16 00:01:16,709 --> 00:01:21,030 Speaker 1: he emphasized his weaknesses. While others at the time were 17 00:01:21,090 --> 00:01:26,420 Speaker 1: boasting about their supposed strengths, Paul demonstrated that Christ's strength 18 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: was sufficient for him in the midst of his human weaknesses. 19 00:01:31,540 --> 00:01:34,420 Speaker 1: The truth is, We can spend the few brief decades 20 00:01:34,459 --> 00:01:36,920 Speaker 1: we have on this earth doing one of two things. 21 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,640 Speaker 1: We can try to make ourselves look good, or we 22 00:01:40,660 --> 00:01:44,890 Speaker 1: can point people to Christ who actually is good. We 23 00:01:44,910 --> 00:01:47,650 Speaker 1: can try to pretend that we don't have any weaknesses, 24 00:01:48,330 --> 00:01:51,990 Speaker 1: or we can display that Christ's strength is sufficient for 25 00:01:52,110 --> 00:01:55,970 Speaker 1: us in the midst of our human limitations. We can 26 00:01:56,010 --> 00:01:59,420 Speaker 1: carefully craft an image that centers around acting like we've 27 00:01:59,450 --> 00:02:03,620 Speaker 1: got everything figured out or we can testify that real 28 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: wisdom is granted by the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ. 29 00:02:08,900 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: He's got it all figured out. Life is not about 30 00:02:12,300 --> 00:02:17,650 Speaker 1: trusting ourselves. It's about trusting Him and walking with Him daily. 31 00:02:19,530 --> 00:02:24,110 Speaker 1: Let's pray. Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and 32 00:02:24,150 --> 00:02:25,850 Speaker 1: we thank You for the privilege that it is to 33 00:02:25,870 --> 00:02:28,370 Speaker 1: be able to read this portion of Scripture together today 34 00:02:28,430 --> 00:02:32,019 Speaker 1: from the book of 2 Corinthians. And Lord, we're grateful 35 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: that as we look at this portion of your word, 36 00:02:34,180 --> 00:02:37,580 Speaker 1: we see an example of the Apostle Paul referencing the 37 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:40,820 Speaker 1: fact that he had weaknesses, that he was struggling with things, 38 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: that as of yet he was not perfect, but he 39 00:02:43,919 --> 00:02:47,880 Speaker 1: was trusting in you because you are perfect and you 40 00:02:47,900 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: were helping him with all the different things that he 41 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 1: was struggling with. And Lord, we know that throughout the 42 00:02:53,060 --> 00:02:55,989 Speaker 1: course of our lives, it can become very easy for 43 00:02:56,100 --> 00:02:59,970 Speaker 1: us to become boastful or proud or to act as 44 00:03:00,050 --> 00:03:03,730 Speaker 1: if we don't have struggles or limitations. But Lord, when 45 00:03:03,750 --> 00:03:06,050 Speaker 1: we look at what your word reveals, and when we 46 00:03:06,150 --> 00:03:09,350 Speaker 1: observe what goes on in our day-to-day lives, we realize 47 00:03:09,710 --> 00:03:13,330 Speaker 1: that we definitely do have weaknesses. We definitely do struggle 48 00:03:13,389 --> 00:03:16,390 Speaker 1: with a variety of things. We can try and pretend 49 00:03:16,430 --> 00:03:20,000 Speaker 1: like we don't, or we can trust in you, because 50 00:03:20,260 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: you are perfect, and we can rely on you to 51 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:25,780 Speaker 1: be our sufficiency. We can rely on you to be 52 00:03:25,820 --> 00:03:29,880 Speaker 1: the source of our righteousness. so we don't become self-righteous 53 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: and we don't become proud and boastful people. Again, we 54 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:36,660 Speaker 1: look at what Paul says here and we see that 55 00:03:37,060 --> 00:03:39,150 Speaker 1: he says that if he was going to boast about something, 56 00:03:39,190 --> 00:03:42,029 Speaker 1: he would boast about his weaknesses or the things that 57 00:03:42,170 --> 00:03:45,690 Speaker 1: show his weakness, which would then result in him boasting 58 00:03:45,850 --> 00:03:49,330 Speaker 1: in your strength. So Lord, we pray that we would 59 00:03:49,410 --> 00:03:52,510 Speaker 1: remember that example and that we would live that out 60 00:03:52,550 --> 00:03:55,010 Speaker 1: in our day-to-day lives so that the goal of our 61 00:03:55,050 --> 00:03:58,130 Speaker 1: lives would never be to boast about ourselves, which we've 62 00:03:58,170 --> 00:04:01,250 Speaker 1: all mistakenly done at one point or another. But rather, 63 00:04:01,290 --> 00:04:03,890 Speaker 1: we want the goal of our lives to be boasting 64 00:04:03,950 --> 00:04:06,290 Speaker 1: about who you are and what you do in our 65 00:04:06,350 --> 00:04:10,130 Speaker 1: day-to-day lives. We want to testify to your strength and 66 00:04:10,150 --> 00:04:14,900 Speaker 1: to your goodness and to your provision, because you are perfect. 67 00:04:15,740 --> 00:04:18,220 Speaker 1: Thank you, Lord, for this reminder from your word today. 68 00:04:18,580 --> 00:04:20,780 Speaker 1: And we commit this day to your care and pray 69 00:04:20,839 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: this all in Jesus' name. Amen.