June 6

I have become a fool, but you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. — 2 Cor 12:11 BSB

Paul didn’t mean that he had no religion—he meant that he had none in himself. “Couldn’t Paul stand against temptation?” Not any more than you or I, apart from the grace of God. “Couldn’t Paul pray more effectively than I can?” No, not at all, except for the Spirit of grace and prayer that was given to him. “Couldn’t Paul love more than I do?” Not a bit more—not in his own strength, at least. I don’t mean to say that Paul didn’t pray, believe, or love more than any of us, but he didn’t perform these actions in his own strength any more than we can. As he said, “In me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing”—not even faith, love, or communion with God.

When the Lord brings a soul down to nothing, He makes His strength perfect in that nothingness. He gives the strength to pray, to believe, to hope, to love, and to receive the gospel. It’s like the man with the withered hand. Jesus said, “Stretch out your hand.” The man couldn’t do it by himself—his hand was withered. But Christ’s strength was made perfect in weakness. When Jesus spoke the word, the man’s hand was stretched out and made whole. The same happened with Lazarus. He was dead, but when Jesus called him out of the grave, life was restored. It was the same with the Old Testament saints who “out of weakness were made strong” (Heb. 11:34). And it’s the same with us. Our weakness, helplessness, and inability draw out the power, strength, and grace of Jesus.