This week we begin worship with:
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, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Sometimes Christians read this and are surprised. Shouldn't the Christian life be perfect, if we are leading it the way God wants us to? Sorry, but no. This is not what Jesus promised. Jesus described two requirements for the kingdom (the bookends for the Beatitudes):
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
It is our "weakness", our "poverty", that permits us entrance and it is for the "sake of Christ" that we bear any marks because of our confession.
What is "sake" (hyper)? The Greek word means "above". We must always hold up the name of Christ. Just as we would leap to keep the American flag from falling to the ground, we must jump at the opportunity to lift high the name of Jesus.
[Paul] “For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
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