HIS POWER

The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh. (Genesis 32:31)

We all know the theory: that we're crucified with Christ; dead to sin, to the world, and to our own powers; that the only life we have is his life. But when God comes along and makes this truth actual, when he lets something happen that spoils us for the world, ruins us, cripples us and keeps us weak, we sink into despair.

You don't just reckon yourself dead to sin and to this world, you experience that death.

After wrestling all night with the angel of the Lord, Jacob got his blessing. As the day broke across the sky, he was no longer Jacob, but Israel, he who strives with God. But Israel limped away from that night of striving with God a cripple for life. The power of God that had now come to him was contained in a vessel that was made permanently weak.

When you ask God to give you power, you'd better understand what you're asking for. The only way that power of God will be safe in you, so that you won't go off half-cocked and run around trying to be Mandrake the Magician, is for that power of God to be linked to something in your life that keeps you weak. For God to answer your prayer and give you his power, it means that he is going to have to work through some weakness in you, or he is going to have to wound you, as he wounded Jacob, and make you weak.

And to keep me from being too exalted by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too exalted. Three times I besought 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." Most gladly therefore will I glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Paul didn't just accept his weaknesses, he gloried in them. Because he knew that his weaknesses were the receptacle of God's power. Paul never gloried in his accomplishments. Paul never gloried in his gifts or his strong points or even in his victories. Paul gloried in two things only:

1. The Cross of Jesus by which the world was crucified to him and he to the world.

2. His weaknesses, through which the power of the Cross found a channel in his life.

If our ministries are going to have the power they've got to have in order to do the job that needs to be done in the time that's left, we are going to have to learn what to be glorying in and what not to. Most of us understand the doctrine beautifully in our heads. But in our actual living we are glorying in the wrong things. We barely get moving in the power of God before our hearts start glorying, boasting about how many people we're reaching, how many souls we're saving, how many battles we're winning, how right we are, how much life we have and how dead everyone else is. And while we're busy glorying in all this, those springs of life in us dry up. We keep right on glorying in these things as though they were still happening, but they aren't. Still going on about how wonderful it was last month, last year, two years ago. But inwardly we know very well that now we're dry as dust, and we don't know what to do.

Go back to that wound God gave you when he poured out his life upon you and glory in that. Look at that limp in your walk in this world that you've had ever since you wrestled with the angel of the Lord, and glory in that. Glory in the fact that God ruined the world and its delights for you, and ruined you for the world by the power of the Cross of Jesus.

We can see this in others. We shake our heads over the evangelist who once preached about Jesus to the country folk in revival tents, spoke with the authority of God and wielded that authority. Now the man is trying to M.C. a Christian variety show on national television. Cheap, slick, hollow religion in place of the life he once had. That man was spoiled for the world and the world for him years ago. He has a limp, but instead of glorying in that limp that the power of Christ might rest upon him, he's trying to hide it. He's getting richer every week, but the power of God is gone from him.

But the same thing is happening to many of us. We parade our strengths in front of each other we pretend to be so strong, so good, so sure, and so wise. And how angry we get when people don't recognize how wonderful we are, when we ought to be glorying in the fact that we're cripples, speckled birds, out-of-joint with the world, that the power of Christ may rest upon us.

Our Lord got his wounded thigh before he ever preached a sermon. When Jesus was baptized, he identified with the weakness and the sin of the whole human race. Then he was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He conquered the devil, but he came out of that wilderness spoiled for the world. He refused to make that deal with the Prince of the world that is necessary in order to get along smoothly. When Jesus came out of the wilderness he was already stamped with the marks of Isaiah 53.

He hath no form or comliness; and when we shall see him,

There is no beauty that we should desire him.

In terms of the world, he is already ugly, a man to be despised and rejected. Therefore the power of his Father rested upon him. And all through his ministry the Son of God never gloried in anything concerning himself but his weakness

I of myself can do nothing.

....in myself I have no strength, no wisdom, nothing. It all comes from my Father who dwells in me.

So the blind received their sight, the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, and the deaf heard. The dead were raised and the poor had the good news preached to them. ....And Satan's neck was broken when Jesus expired in weakness on that cross.

What can we expect but bungling failure, even if the world thinks we're a smashing success, if we're unwilling to follow our Master on this lowly road ... if our spirits scream to each other, "Look at me, I am

somebody!" ..."Shut up, you fool and listen to me talk!"..."My humility beats yours hands down!"

If you want to glory in something, glory in the Cross of Jesus and what it has done to you.

As far as God is concerned, the Cross has saved you from sin, death and the power of the devil.

But as far as the world is concerned, the Cross has ruined you. Ruined you. Never forget that.

The Cross has not unlocked the door to success. It has not made you at home in this world. It has not saved your business from bankruptcy. If the Cross of Jesus has really touched your life, it has put you out of joint with this world and you ought to be praising God that is has. It has wounded your thigh and you ought to be praising God every time you limp.

Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.

Thank God that the Cross of Jesus makes this world garbage for you. All the glittering, alluring things, all those hopes and dreams, those lusts, that vanity, become one huge pile of refuse, now that the Cross of the Son of God has touched you. And you wonder how you wasted so many years chasing after nothing.

Thank God that the Cross has made you garbage as far as the world is concerned. If you ever looked appealing to the world, you don't now. You bear the marks in you of Him who is despised and rejected of men. You're an offense to the world just as he is. So now you can get on with what really matters: doing the will of the master. Proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and he's coming soon, without forever looking over your shoulder to see whether the world likes what you're doing.

And if you want to glory in anything else besides that Cross, glory in your weaknesses. Not your strengths, your weaknesses. Those weaknesses are the only place where the power of Christ is corning through in your life.

Most gladly therefore, will I glory in my weaknesses, 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 than I am strong.

God teach us this!

When somebody insults you, are you still flying to your own defense, pouring venom out of your mouth to cut him down. You can do it. You may be skilled at coming back at these fools who insult you and ripping them to shreds. But by whose power?

When someone insults you, says some hurting thing that really shakes you, instead of scorching your enemy with fire from your mouth, leave it. That insult that weakened you and shook you is just what you needed. It broke you and humbled you enough so that the Son of God can now safely put his power into you. Thank God for that insult that struck you dumb for three days. It's just what you needed. Now you're down to size. Now the Spirit of God can really start moving through you.

Hardships, persecutions and calamities do the same thing. They make us weak enough so that we can really be strong in God.

If you want to pray a prayer that will do you some good, pray, "Lord make me weak and keep me weak so that I know that I have no power but yours." But don't pray it unless you mean it because he will do it.

The churches are forever on the lookout for important people, forever trying to win the world's big names, people of influence, and, of course, the people with lots of money. Every time another "important" soul is won, there's a big "to do". Like it's something really special if we get a Metropolitan Opera singer or an All-Star fullback, or a Wall Street banker. That's going to make people sit up and take notice.... of what?

But the Spirit of God is on the lookout for little people, broken people, weak people, undone people. And if that cowboy or that ball player is really going to enter the Kingdom, he is going to learn to be "little people" and stay that way.

For it is only the little people, the broken, weak and undone people who ever carry the mighty power of the eternal Son of God in them. And if they want to keep carrying that power they'd better stay little, broken, and weak in this world.

My grace is sufficient for you.

My power is made perfect in weakness.

Do you believe that?

Are you willing to let his Grace be sufficient for you?

Are you willing to let his power be made perfect in your weakness?

Then tell him. And it will be done. And you will learn with Paul, gladly to glory in your weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon you.