Orange Moon Thursday, February 23, 2023 "The Weakness of God"

The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…

      

"The Weakness of God"

     

   "He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself" (Ephesians 3:21).

   "We see not yet all things put under Him.  But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:8-9).

   "The weakness of God is stronger than men" (I Corinthians 1:25).

    To redeem creation from the fall of angels and humans who sought to be more than God made them to be, their Creator made Himself less than He is.  Thereby, through seeming weakness He progressively overcomes enemies who deem themselves strong, but who actually depend on Him for the strength to do anything they accomplish.  "In Him we live and move and have our being" declared the Apostle Paul to the unbelieving Athenian philosophers, revealing that even those who don't know the Lord can do nothing without Him (Acts 17:28; emphasis added).  "Man's goings are of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:24).

   Of particular interest is Paul's description of the Lord Jesus Christ as being "made a little lower than the angels."  Note that Lucifer was, and is, an angel, "the anointed cherub that covereth" (Ezekiel 28:14).  Greatly gifted by God to fulfill His purposes, the devil rebelled against His Creator and Lord and now uses his skills to "oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God" (II Thessalonians 2:4).  In order to counter such evil, the Lord girded himself not with weapons of strength, but rather with trappings of weakness.  He made Himself "a little lower" than His enemy.  From birth as a helpless baby, to life as a common man, to ministry under continual threat, and finally, to being "crucified through weakness," the Lord Jesus overcame the devil and all other enemies by swords that for all the world looked like plowshares, or even less (II Corinthians 13:4).

    He still works in this most unlikely manner.  Whether in our personal lives or in the world, our Heavenly Father often reveals His Son in ways we will miss if we do not remember the strength He reveals through weakness.  Presently, in countless ways, devilish and human influences have their boots on the throats of believers, indicating  their seeming power and control.  If we could see things more clearly, however, the triumph of Christ would grace the throat rather than the boot.  God presently works His purposes and reveals the triumph of Christ through weakness rather than strength.  "In all these things" testified Paul of our challenges, "we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us" (Romans 8:37).

    At the end of history, the living God will have overcome every enemy by means of a conquering cross.  Sin will bow in its shadow before fleeing away forever.  Satan and His followers will be cast into the lake of fire by nail-pierced Hands.  God will have revealed the utter insanity of opposing Him by allowing His enemies a vast portion of strength, while defeating them as enrobed with the garments of weakness.  He presently works accordingly, and we do well to remember that…

"My strength is made perfect in weakness."

(II Corinthians 12:9)

Weekly Memory Verse

     The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge.

(Psalm 46:7)

    

   

  

    

     

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