Sufficient Grace

     In 2 Corinthians 12:7, the apostle Paul said that a thorn was given to him in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass him from becoming conceited. In verses 8-10 he said, "Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardship, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
     God told the apostle Paul that, "My grace is sufficient for you." The grace from God is his undeserved favor. God's grace is his gift to us and we did nothing to earn it. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your owned doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." Our salvation was a gift from God. God's grace gave to us what we could not give to ourselves. God allowed the apostle Paul to have a thorn in his flesh so to keep him humble and not to become puffed up with pride. However God by his grace, supplied him the sufficient power and strength that Paul needed to endure his troubles and accomplish the work that needed to be done.
     God has made his grace to be sufficient for us. 2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." Hebrew 4:16 "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." God's grace is sufficient for every hardship that we may face. God's power is greater than any problem that we may encounter. When the apostle Paul was weak he could feel the Holy Spirit of God upon him, making him feel confident and strong.
     When I feel weak and I do not have the energy to do what I need to do. I continue on in life with my faith in God. I pray for his help and the strength to get through my day. In those times, I just surrender my life over to God so he can help me. By his grace, I did receive the energy that I needed to get through my day. I accomplish the tasks that I needed to do. I look back at the end of my day and ask myself, how did I do that? The answer was only through God's grace. God's grace was sufficient, it was more than enough to get me through my day.
     The apostle Paul recognized, what the power of God's grace could do. 1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me." The apostle Paul told us that God's grace made him into the man that he is now. He worked hard as God's disciple but he said he could not have done this without God supporting him with his grace. He realized in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 that when he was weak, he could feel the power of Christ resting upon him, making him feel strong. His troubles and hardship that he had to go through was also a witness to others of God's strength, power and grace that was upon him. He said, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardship, persecutions, and calamities for he knew that God was with him, supplying him with everything that he needed through his grace. If someone were to asked him, How did you endure all these things? He would say by the grace of God.