THE GREATEST GENERATION

2 Corinthians 4:7-10
7 We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

The book The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw chronicles the personal stories of World War II heroes such as Tom Broderick. Turning his back on a promising career in the Merchant Marines, Broderick enlisted in the Airborne "to get into the war." After intense combat training, Broderick found himself in a foxhole drawing his sights on a German soldier. Distracted by his target, he rose a little too high and became a target himself. An enemy sniper shot him in the head.

When he awoke in the hospital, he couldn't see. Later he learned he had been blinded for life. At first he rebelled against his fate, angrily objecting to learning Braille and adopting the limitations of a man without vision. Then Broderick turned to God with an interesting request: "If I can't have my eyesight back, could You find a girl for me to marry?"

Soon Tom met Eileen on a blind date (no pun intended). They fell in love, married, and raised seven children in a loving Christian home. Tom strongly resisted being treated as a disabled person. He ran a successful insurance business and led a full life. His son Scott commented, "You know how everyone says their dad is the best? Well, do you know how many people I've heard that from about my dad? Friends, neighbors, clients. Every kid thinks it, but to hear it from other people is so gratifying. He never let his disability get in the way of anything."

The apostle Paul had a disability, but he didn't let it get him down. After seeking God to take it away three separate times, he came to terms with it. Paul understood that weaknesses have a way of reminding us to depend on the power of Jesus.

Do you have a weakness that you need to turn over to the Lord so you can experience His strength? You can come to the place where you'll say, "When I am weak, then I am strong" (1 Corinthians 12:10). --Dennis Fisher

DESTINATION POINTS

* Why do weaknesses showcase God's power?
* What weaknesses will I turn over to Jesus?

LINKS:
Man of Vision
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrjhome/1999/May-30-Sun-1999/lifestyles/11140343.html

Why Is Life So Unfair? The Story Of Psalm 73
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0719

bottom line: God's strength is made perfect in weakness.

soul journey