April 20, 2026:

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“But God 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

(2 Corinthians 12.9)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

In one of my devotional readings from this morning, I came across this: Dr. Stanley said “We must surrender—this is not an admission of weakness but, rather, an expression of humility and trust.” In the third letter Paul wrote to the Christian community of faith in Corinth (embedded in 2 Corinthians), he said, “We are made strong in weakness by God’s grace as we put our trust in Him and obey humbly seeking not our own way but His.” In our human predisposition to be self-sufficient and thus be perceived as strong and not weak, we fail to address the real issue every human being faces. That issue can be simply stated this way, “We are never so strong that we do not need God.” There is a corollary statement to go along with this that says: “We are never so right that we can do without the wisdom of God.” We should never think nor believe that we are able to stand alone and on our own. Without the very essence and presence of God in the midst of our lives, we are truly weak and there is nothing that can change that condition. I mean there is nothing. We can be deceived by ourselves or others into thinking that we can but even Satan knew better than to leave anyone “on their own.” Even Jesus, very God of very God and very man of very man, knew that without God all things are impossible as it relates to the ultimate definition of who were are intended to be- eternally blessed beings without end. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, it was a showdown as to who Jesus would lean on or rely upon: God or Satan. In other words, who would “complete” Jesus as the superpower of Heaven and Earth? Or was Satan hoping that with such an allegiance and alliance with Jesus that he would be validated as Ruler over all thus turning Jesus into his false prophet and priest. Wow… is this not what we see Jesus predicting in His Revelation to John? Not that Jesus would align with Satan but that Satan found someone who would become his “prophet and priest.” This triune being would bear the name Anti-Christ. Amazing, is it not that the very name assigned recognizes two things. First, that as an anti-Christ he is against the good of all people and their hope for a blessed eternal life. Second, it is a profession of understanding the authority which God Himself gives over to the Christ to be judge and ruler. God does not surrender His position as God. Thus, even if Satan were somehow successful as the Anti-Christ, he is still subject to the sovereignty of God. The lie can never become the truth.

We can never think we are able to stand alone and on our own. The striving to be independent and in control puts a barrier on what God can do. Even though He can do all things, He will not act to push your will to the side. He did not stop Adam from letting Eve fall into temptation. He did not stop Eve from falling into temptation. He did not stop the serpent from seeking to destroy God by attacking God’s creation- specifically by attacking Adam and Eve. He had already given His word of promise and provision. He trusted that His word was sufficient. Sadly, they would not understand it until they learned the hard way. Why humans are so determined to learn things the hard way, I don’t know. Perhaps because in seeking the easiest way to solve problems we chose the hardest way. The hardest way is to choose to do things on our own terms instead of walking with God (and with those whom God puts in our lives from time to time to help us.) This does not mean choosing God is easy. It is hard to bend our will to fit His. His will will never bend to fit ours. Jesus admitted it in His own Garden experience just before He would be brutally murdered by a toxic world claiming they were doing God’s will. They were but as unwilling servants allowed by God so that true salvation would thrive in our world. As their bondage binds us to the lie of the enemy, so we have been set free by the truth of God’s love. Now we can only know freedom and salvation by letting Jesus pay the price. He didn’t loan us salvation with a payback price. He did not give us salvation with the burden of entitlement. He gave it so we didn’t have to pay it ourselves trusting in Him to be all that is needed. He is the true strength of our lives. Our weakness is in the flesh but our strength is in the spirit. This is the way we are to be in relationship with each other as human beings in the Church and in the world. We all protect ourselves but one day that need to shield ourselves from the discovery of another will come and we will, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, “…stand face to face and clearly see as we are already clearly seen.” God already knows what we are hiding. There are no secrets from Him. Until that 1 Corinthians 13 face to face clearly is recognized there is going to be doubt and skepticism and withholding of that which we want to offer others but will not because they are not willing to offer the same in return. We will find ourselves not in positions of strength but weak and weak unto death. It is only in believing in Christ that we shall have life and have it abundantly.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.