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By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:7'9 WEB.

The great Apostle Paul, who wrote much of the New Testament, had what he called a thorn in the flesh. Paul doesn't tell us what the thorn was. It may have been a critical spirit, lust, migraine headaches, or possibly bad eyes (Galatians 4:15).

Whatever it was, it bothered Paul, and he wanted to be free of it. So he asked the Lord three times to take the thorn away, but the Lord told him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." So Paul continued to minister, and the thorn remained with him.

The grace of God is like oil that smooths the gears of life and makes things fall into place. It can help you be at the right place, at the right time, knowing all the right answers. It may provide you a parking space at the front door when the rest of the lot is full.

When the Lord first herded me into my own computer repair business, it seemed like they almost fixed themselves. Often when I touched them, they suddenly started working correctly, or the problem was revealed to me. There was abundant grace.

Later, when the Lord decided to put me in ministry, our computer business dried completely up, and working on them became a living nightmare. Trivial things like installing a hard disk could take a whole day when it used to take minutes. The grace was gone, and it was time to move on. Grace can make things seem easy, like a well-oiled machine. But when the grace lifts, it becomes a difficult grind. The Lord was moving us in a new direction, so friction came.

Having problems and thorns in the flesh will not stop God from using you. So if you are walking with something today that won't leave, and you cry out to the Lord repeatedly, but it remains there, don't give up. Serve God anyway, just as Paul did. Know that His grace is sufficient to get you through this day, and tomorrow there will be a fresh supply. He will still use the imperfect and weak to show His power, with all their flaws, just as He continued to use Paul.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your grace. Please forgive me of my sins and help me to live a life that is pleasing to You. Lead me into all that You have for me here. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!

Note: Ladies, today is Thankful Thursday at the "Ladies in Distress" group (our RHM women's group)! You are welcome to join in our weekly sharing of thankfulness for the Lord's presence and any blessings you may have experienced, big or small! "Ladies in Distress" is a private group, so if you have any problems joining, just post anywhere and we will help you :). Here is the link: Ladies in Distress

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