Day 26: Boasting in Your Weakness

God is not impressed by the wisdom of this world. He has another kind of wisdom which appears foolish—the cross. And this wisdom is imparted by the Holy Spirit contrary to the spirit of this world.

God is also not impressed by human strength and if you want real divine strength and power, first of all, you have to become weak by the standards of this world. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:22–29:

“...the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

There is a kind of weakness which is the key to real strength. Then Paul says to the Christians: “Look at the kind of people you are. Look at the kind of people who become believers.”

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble: but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are . that no man should boast before God.” (NAS)

God has chosen the very opposite of what man would choose with wisdom. Before God can really come into our lives and be to us all that He wants to be, there’s one thing that He has to cast down and that is human pride. And there are two great sources of human pride. One is wisdom and the other is power.

God’s power is only fully revealed in man’s weakness. As long as man has his own strength and has it all together, there’s no room for God. And God doesn’t get the glory. But when we’ve come to the limit of our own strength and our own wisdom and we have no more resources, then God can release his wisdom, His strength, through His grace. Grace begins where human ability ends.

Paul sums it up in those simple words, “when I am weak, then I am strong.” That’s a lesson we all have to learn sooner or later—and the sooner the better if we’re really going to experience the power of God released in our lives.

Reflect: As long as you are able and you can do it by yourself and in your own strength, God’s grace is not released. When you’ve come to the end of your ability, that’s the beginning of God’s grace.