Today, we reflect on the second-to-last chapter of 2 Corinthians, where Paul’s unique spiritual experiences unfold. Despite receiving extraordinary revelations, it was a thorn in his flesh that kept him humble, reminding us of the power found in our vulnerabilities. As we explore Paul’s narrative and personal insights from a 35-year journey of Bible study, we are invited to find peace in the weaknesses and challenges in our own lives, leaning into the divine promise, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ Let us journey together through these rich and timeless Biblical teachings.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we are in the second to last chapter of 2 Corinthians. We’re in chapter 12. Let’s listen to Faith Comes to Our Hearings recording of the 21 verses of 2 Corinthians chapter 12.
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2 Corinthians 12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who, fourteen years ago, was caught up to the third heaven. Whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise. Whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know. God knows. And he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So to keep me from becoming 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. I have been a fool. You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong.” Here for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you? I urged Titus to go and sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps? Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.” For I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish, that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again, my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
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In 1994, when I read 2 Corinthians chapter 12, I wrote Paul’s thorn in the flesh to keep me from exalting myself. Maybe that’s why things go wrong, don’t always happen just the way we want, is to help keep us from exalting ourselves and that God works through our weaknesses. In 2004, 10 years after 1994, again I was reading the Bible chronologically and I was finishing as I mentioned before. This last day I read 2 Corinthians 10 through 13 together and I referred to one verse out of chapter 12. I wrote, let your grace be sufficient for me. And in 2015, 11 years after 2004, remember I spent most of what we were reading in 2 Corinthians in Australia. So I’m on the plane once again, finally on my way home, and I’m reading on the airplane 2 Corinthians chapter 12 and 13. And I wrote, Paul caught up in the third heaven, heard things he cannot share. Wow. Then I continued to keep him humble. He had a thorn of flesh, which he wanted removed. God said no. In these last few chapters of 2 Corinthians, Paul, remember, is defending himself. The Corinthians had visitors who shared their spiritual credentials and their spiritual experiences, and maybe they were more articulate than Paul. So the Corinthians were divided between Paul and these other messengers. So here Paul, in a strange way, shares one of his spiritual credentials. He says in verse 2, I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up in the third heaven. Paul’s hesitancy to boast of his vision is reflected in his use of the third person. But he is definitely referring to himself when he says, I know a man in Christ who 14 years ago was caught up to the third heaven. And then think about what he says in verse 4. He says, And he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. After that Damascus Road experience where Jesus confronted Paul, Paul didn’t go to Jerusalem to learn the gospel. He had direct experiences with Jesus. That may be what he’s referring to here. And then he goes on to say in verse 7, so to keep me from becoming 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. Can you imagine what Paul saw? The surpassing greatness of the revelations. Hearing things, seeing things that cannot be told. And just to be sure that Paul didn’t get too arrogant, too cocky, too conceited, he gets a messenger from Satan to harass him. This story from Paul is enough to keep me as humble as I can be, so none of this would ever happen to me. Three times Paul pleads to the Lord. that it would leave him, this thorn of flesh, this messenger of Satan. But Jesus says to him, So Paul prayed three times that this thorn would be removed. Did Jesus answer his prayer? Yes, he did, didn’t he? He didn’t answer it the way Paul wanted it answered, but he did answer his prayer. Does that happen to you? Do you pray for something and it doesn’t turn out the way you want? Just remember, God may have answered your prayer, just not the way you wanted. Paul gets it. He says, 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. Do we get it when God doesn’t answer our prayer the way we want it? Do we understand that he may be keeping us weak so that we can be made strong through him? Can we say, like Paul, for the sake of Christ, then I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities? I don’t think I can say that. I get bad news and my countenance changes. I get bad news and I get knocked off my spiritual rocker. So often after I experience insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, I need to filter it through my quiet time to get myself spiritually back on track. But I also believe what the scripture tells me. That I need you. Every hour I need you. That in my flesh I can do nothing. But hallelujah, Christ in me, the hope of glory. I think I can say with Paul, when I am weak, then he makes me strong. Do you have a thorn in your flesh? Do you have something that bothers you, that keeps you from getting conceited spiritually? Have you asked God to remove it and he has said no? Can you see it like Paul? My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Friends, we might have a strange prayer today. Lord, thank you for the thorn in our side. Thank you for whatever it takes for us not to become spiritually conceited. Thank you for the thorn in our flesh that keeps us weak so that you can be made strong through us. In a strange way, Lord, might we praise your name for that thorn in our flesh, for that which keeps us weak so that you can be seen strong through us. Thank you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Thanks for listening to AdBible today. Across our listening audience, more and more of you are supporting AdBible by visiting our website at EzraProject.net and purchasing resources like Club 365 subscriptions, Bible reading journals, and one or more of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. We thank you so much and encourage more of you to do the same. will find helpful and inspirational tools to enhance your personal time in god’s word today i want to review the three tools we see most listeners getting first club 365 this is a monthly subscription opening our vault of all add bible audio recordings and all printed pages of the entire day by day through the bible devotional series By joining Club 365 for only $7 a month, you have access to both audio and written information on all 66 books of the Bible. Club 365 is a goldmine, and it is completely flexible to your personal Bible reading plan. So if you’re reading Matthew or Isaiah or Psalms or Revelation, you have access to audio or written comments, applications, and prayers on any of them at your fingertips. Get Club 365 at EzraProject.net today, like so many others have. Secondly, another hot seller are our Bible reading journals. We offer two. One is a chronological Bible reading journal that contains a daily Bible reading plan chronologically. You don’t have to buy a chronological Bible, just get our chronological Bible reading journal. It has over 200 pages, so you can journal your way through the entire Bible. This book is our number one bestseller over the last two decades. The other journal is called the Trio Bible Reading Journal because it has three annual Bible reading plans in it. a New Testament schedule, an Old Testament schedule. But if you do them both on the same day, a complete Bible reading plan, you’ll finish the Bible in 365 days. We have a limited supply of the TRIO Bible reading journal. The cool thing about our journals is they start when you start. Day one of the schedule is the day you start, not January 1. Again, completely flexible to your Bible reading habits. Order your journal for just $9 at EzraProject.net and we ship it free. And the third product people are ordering is one of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. There are only 11, but they cover all 66 books of the Bible, filled with comments about passages, applications from the passages, and prayers related to the passages. Listeners are understanding Bible passages in a whole new way, thanks to digging deeper with a day-by-day supplement to their daily devotions. You can find all 11 books on our website at EzraProject.net. They are available in print and digitally. Get one today and start understanding your Bible in a whole new way. So that’s all for today. Join me tomorrow for another chapter of AdBible. I know you’re going to enjoy it. And want to share it with others.
