1It is doubtless not profitable for me to boast, but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven fourteen years ago—whether in the body, I don’t know, or whether out of the body, I don’t know; God knows. 3I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don’t know; God knows), 4how he was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. 5On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses. 6For if I would desire to boast, I will not be foolish; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no man may think more of me than that which he sees in me or hears from me. 7By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. 8Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
10Therefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, and in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then am I strong. 11I have become foolish in boasting. You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for I am in no way inferior to the very best apostles, though I am nothing. 12Truly the signs of an apostle were worked among you in all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty works. 13For what is there in which you were made inferior to the rest of the assemblies, unless it is that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
14Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I seek not your possessions, but you. For the children ought not to save up for the parents, but the parents for the children. 15I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less? 16Even so, I myself didn’t burden you. But you might say that being crafty, I caught you with deception. 17Did I take advantage of you by anyone of those whom I have sent to you? 18I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? Didn’t we walk in the same spirit? Didn’t we walk in the same steps?
19Again, do you think that we are excusing ourselves to you? In the sight of God we speak in Christ. But all things, beloved, are for your edifying. 20For I am afraid that perhaps when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don’t desire, that perhaps there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, or riots, 21that again when I come my God would humble me before you, and I would mourn for many of those who have sinned before now, and not repented of the uncleanness, sexual immorality, and lustfulness which they committed.
7 By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. 8 Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me.
Have you ever noticed that there is usually something that pulls on each of us, that is seemingly determined to displace our joy and peace in the Lord? For some, it might be a physical problem or illness that tries to sneak into our souls, stealing our joy. For others, it might be a demanding sexual or emotional appetite that won’t go away. It steals our joy and sets our mind on baser things instead of the mind of Christ. For others still, it might be a gnawing dissatisfaction that tempts us into thinking that our joy would be complete if we could have “that one more thing.” The list goes on and on. I think these are pretty good examples of a “thorn in the flesh”. That can be anything that seems to constantly be there, gnawing away at the peace, joy, and love in which God intends that we walk. Don’t hate yourself for your “thorn in the flesh.”
Instead, embrace it as a sure sign that you are needy and in constant need of a touch from God. Paul did just that. He realized that this thorn was given to him because it kept him from being too impressed with himself. We are in real spiritual danger when we become impressed with ourselves. You see, that was the very sin that transformed the Angel of Light into the devil himself. When the thorn in your flesh tugs hard at your soul, give yourself once again to the Savior of your soul. Say, “Lord, I can’t handle this. I am not strong enough. Come Lord Jesus and save me from this ____________.” You might have to pray this prayer a thousand times, and that is okay. Paul was satisfied in praying that prayer just three times, but we might have a harder time working through it than Paul did. What was God’s answer to Paul?
He said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Don’t hate yourself for your weaknesses. Just give them to Jesus. When we can do this again and again, we can embrace our weakness as a sure sign that we’re pretty pitiful without His help. That’s a safe place to be.
Paul had sent a harsh word to the Corinthians, and afterwards, he wondered whether or not it was the right thing to do. His motive was to correct them lovingly. It wasn’t to make them grieve. They received his letter and they wept over their condition. Paul wrote it to bring them to repentance, and they received the news, making changes in their lives and in their church. When a believer is sorrowful about some sin in their life and they repent of it, it brings about life. It helps to draw them back into the will of God and into Christlike behavior. Because of his love for them and his prior visits, Paul had laid the foundation of a good relationship, and he had the standing to write such a letter.
When I was about forty years old, I moved to a new community. I had just suffered a terrible personal blow that resulted in the loss of a company which my wife and I had started and built. We were pushed out of the business by younger partners. It was a tremendous blow to both of us, but it had a particularly profound impact on me. Often, a man wrongfully looks to his work to find his value and worth, and his identity. It’s a long story and doesn’t need to be retold here, but it hurt my pride and affected my psyche. As I joined a small men’s group in my new community, I shared my wound, and frankly, it dominated my thoughts and much of my conversation. I was always talking about myself to try, I suppose, to convince myself and others that I had value and worth after letting some other guys get the best of me. One day, one of the brothers in the small group took me aside and said to me, “You just love talking about yourself.” OUCH! I grieved at those words. I didn’t consciously realize it, but my subconscious self knew it was true, and I was devastated. I had become one of those pitiful people who always have to have the better story or be at the center of the conversation. I needed correction, and this brother gently pointed out a wrong that needed to be corrected. He had listened to me for many hours, and he had earned the right to give me a harsh letter, wrapped up in some gentle words.
You may need a letter like this, or you may need to give one to someone. Make sure that if you do, you have spent the time with that person to lay a good foundation. Speak to them in gentle words that help them to see the error of their ways and give them a clear path to walk out of it. People often talk about themselves due to insecurity. They don’t think much of themselves, so they overcompensate by trying to build themselves up in the eyes of others. Old wounds affect us greatly. If you can’t get past them, they will affect what you think, do, and say. The enemy uses them to distort us and causes us to focus on ourselves. Be open to correction, and if you need to correct a brother or a sister, lay the foundation, and do so with the greatest of love. If you do, it can bring life back to them. Paul had done so with the Corinthians, and they received the news, changed their behavior, and rejoiced.
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