"Through Weakness"

  The Lord Jesus Christ entered the world as a helpless baby dependent on human parents for His care and sustenance.  Such weakness led Satan to seek the Child's destruction through earthly kings, Herod and Archelaus (Matthew 2:12-23).  With every advantage at hand, the devil failed.  

   In the wilderness temptation, Satan found the Lord Jesus near starvation after forty days and nights without food.  The Savior's weakness incited the devil, certainly eliciting in Satan the expectation that he had finally found a way to defeat his foe.  Again, with every advantage at hand, the devil failed.

    At Calvary, Satan led and energized his human agencies, religious and political leaders, to torture the the seemingly weak, hapless, and helpless Lord Jesus to death.  Three days later, however, God raised His Son from the dead.  The format continued.  With every advantage at hand, the devil failed.  

     Finally, the Spirit of the Lord Jesus dwells within His church, a collection of "not many wise… not many mighty… not many noble" (I Corinthians 1:26).  Satan wins many skirmishes with those in whom weakness rather than strength often seems to characterize their spiritual lot and condition.  At the end of the day, however, the god of this present world, with every advantage at hand, fails to douse the Light that shines in God's lamp, the body of Christ.  The devil fails.

    History will record that the Lord Jesus took upon Himself every disadvantage, while allowing His enemy every advantage.  He defeated as a man "made a little lower than the angels" in order to reveal the power of God and the futility of rebellion against God (Hebrews 2:7-9).  In believers, the Lord reveals His strength not in strength, but in weakness (II Corinthians 12:9).  Over and over and over again, God allows Satan to occupy the high ground from which to execute his nefarious battle plans against the church of the Lord Jesus.  Over and over and over again, our enemy finds his advantage leads to ruinous defeat, shame, and ignominy.  Wicked Haman, as it were, ends up hanging on the gallows he constructs for Mordecai, and the Lord alone is revealed as the true and living God (Esther 8:7).

Sometimes it seems that the enemy of our soul wins

over and over and over and over again.

But if we could see the Truth much more clearly, my friend,

we'd see Christ triumph over death, hell, and sin,

over and over and over and over again…

Over and over and over and over again.

The Tomb is empty, the Throne above occupied.

For Christ is risen again, from death glorified.

So remember when hot, stinging tears fill your eyes,

the triumph He's shone so many times in our lives,

over and over and over and over again…

Over and over and over and over again.

Forever draws nigh, we will be with Him there soon, my friend.

The trials of this life will be gone when we're with Him in Heaven.

Glories we'll see, majesty without end, 

that sing the glad hymn, Christ is risen again,

over and over and over and over again…

Over and over and over and over again.

"Though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by the power of God.  For we are also weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

(II Corinthians 13:4)

Weekly Memory Verse

    Godliness with contentment is great gain.

(I Timothy 6:6)