Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (MSG)
Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians provide the key verses for Celebrate Recovery as we come to grips with our struggles. When we have God first in our lives, we have victories over situations and setbacks we once thought were impossible to overcome. And yet, as Paul states, we all have a thorn(s) in our side—something that we just can’t overcome—no matter how hard we try or how much we pray, the thorn remains. Paul goes on to say he found a solution regarding the thorn, not just any solution, it was more like a seismic shift in thinking as Paul gives us a new way of looking at our imperfections: quit focusing on the thorn and begin appreciating the gift.
The gift is God’s grace found in the middle of our weakness. When we tap into grace, we admit our weakness and start relying on Gods power to change our attitude and our lives—that’s when humility thrives. When we learn to be comfortable in our own skin we worry less about our imperfections as we focus more on what God would have us do. That seismic transformative gift that Paul talks about is to see our weakness or handicap as a gift that invites God into our lives in a most powerful way. Now that is a gift to be thankful for and rejoice in as we celebrate the Christmas season.
If you’re stuck in a hurt, habit or hang up check out Celebrate Recovery at Crossroads Church. We meet every Friday night, starting at 6pm.
God loves you, Jesus died for you, His spirit lives in you! Say Yes to Jesus and live Love!
Dana Cramer // Celebrate Recovery at Crossroads ChurchCelebrate Recovery at Crossroads Church Calendar December 9-15, 2019
Friday, December 13: Lesson Night- 6pm: Join us for dessert and fellowship prior to our large group meeting.
- 6:30pm: Please join us for an hour of worship and a recovery message.
- 7:30pm: Open Share Groups.
- 8:30pm: Solid Rock Café.
