2 Corinthians 12:7-10, “So to keep me from being conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, 'my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Lord Jesus, please explain why you said to Paul, “my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Response received:
In your humanity, you will always seek strength, and this is good. You want to be patient, kind, humble, loving, you want to be able to heal and deliver people from evil, and all this is very good. Yet, there is a way of seeking this strength, whether in your character or in the works you do, that is dangerous. The danger is when you begin to believe that such a strength is your possession. We want to teach you that real strength is achieved in communion - communion with us and communion with your neighbor. Therefore, there are some of the weaknesses in you that will remain when you are not relying on the communion with us. The perfection to which we call you is a perfection of union with us. The biggest disease of humanity is self-centeredness and pride, the search of a perfection focused on you. You have to learn that my power is made perfect in weakness, so that you don’t rely only on you, but first and foremost on us. We don’t try to humiliate you or others, it is simply that you have not been created to be independent and autonomous. We have created you to be in fellowship. It would be very dangerous to let you believe that you can be flawless without a real and living communion with us. As Paul said, you would become conceited, proud and arrogant, and you would damage the love in you and in others. Like Paul, you have to learn what he meant by: when I am weak, then I am strong.
Our central goal in creating humanity was not power but love. Love repudiates independence and pride. Love involves valuing the other, and realizing that you are incomplete without the others.
As you learn, through your life, to walk with me, to dwell in me and me in you, some of your weaknesses will be removed, and some will remain. Yet, this does not mean that you will fall, it just means that you will learn to always rely on us, particularly in the domains where you are fragile. You are not supposed to continue to sin, you are called to walk in holiness, but this is possible only in communion with me.
This lesson is very important, it will help you understand what grace is. Grace is the foundation of life - this generosity through which life flows from the Father to all the creation. Grace is not based on entitlement but on generous love. It is not an exchange between two equals, but a generous gift that cannot be claimed by the recipient. Through this generous gift, you learn that you have received without justification, you learn gratefulness, you learn to receive love. As you learn to receive this generous love, you become able to give such love to others.
Love is learned through grace. It is fundamental that you realize that you need our grace all the time. As soon as a person begins to have the impression that they don’t need grace, this becomes a danger for all the others. Such persons will begin to think that the others should all be like them, that they made it, that they are thus better than those who fail. This is the disease of many human leaders who think that they have found the final solution to power or perfection, that all people should imitate them, and many write books and give lectures with this sinful attitude. This is idolatry and leads to failure and despair. Follow the path that Paul described: imitate me, learn how I always relied on the love of the Father, on His grace, how I relied on fellowship with Him to do all I did during my life on earth. I did not speak without having heard from the Father first, I did not do without seeing first the Father do (see John 12:49-50 and John 5:19-20). As you learn this lesson, as you listen to me and follow me, you can then tell people to imitate you, because they will imitate your reliance on our love and grace, and not on a proud idea of self-sufficiency.
Remember that your calling is not to be strong independently from us, but to be strong in us. Love is first. Learn to love God with all you heart, all your soul, all your might and strength. As you love us with all your strength, you will be safe and protected from pride and idolatry. Then your strength will be in us, then you will not separate your strength from our grace, then you will be able to say with Paul: when I am weak, then I am strong. We will never leave you nor forsake you, learn the joyful lesson of grace, of first being loved and then loving in return.
As you learn this important lesson, you will walk in humble holiness. You will see our love flow through you and deliver many from darkness. You will become a blessing to many, a door that leads to eternal life, a joyful life in communion with us.
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