II Corinthians 12: 2-4
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago--whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows--such a man was caught up to the third Heaven.
And I know how such a man--whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows--was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak (it is not possible for a man to utter).
Yesterday we saw that Paul was stoned and left for dead in Lystra, before he got up and was fit to travel the next morning (Acts 14:19-20).
Some think that Paul did die by stoning
that day, and God brought him back, resuscitated and healed him, to fulfill his mission of planting
all the churches he did. I can't imagine how he was well enough to travel after being stoned otherwise.
And while he was dead he had this vision that
he wrote about fourteen years later.
The
first Heaven is our atmosphere around the Earth that we breathe. The
second Heaven is the Universe around us. The third Heaven is the place
where God lives, outside our Universe.
It's this third Heaven that Paul
saw that day, and he heard a language of words that are not pronounceable by the
human tongue.
Wow! to have such a glorious experience or vision or whatever it was, no wonder Paul didn't want to focus on all that, so he wouldn't get a swelled head!
That's why he wrote that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, of the flesh, but mightily powerful through God for the destruction of fortresses, casting down imaginations and reasonings, and every high and lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:4-5).
Because of this, right after his account of this glorious memory, Paul says:
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!
Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
And He said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. ...
So when I am weak, then I am strong (12:7-10).
This is a good lesson I need to remind myself of from time to time.
I know that God has privileged me to gift me with an understanding of how to "connect some of the dots" to get a much bigger picture of who God is and what He is doing, and how much He really loves us!
And He has led me to share some of this understanding with others by using this blog. And He has given me His faithfulness and constancy to be able to add another entry every day.
I know that this is not in me, in my flesh, to do any of this! So it has to be God doing it.
O my Father, You are so good to me! I don't know why You chose me to make me Your own daughter, knowing me as You do.
But You did, and I thank You so much! It is all You in me that enables me to do anything at all that is positive or righteous or encouraging or wise. Like Paul I recognize that in my flesh I can do nothing at all!
Just like Jesus taught, that I must be connected to the Vine in order to produce any product; like the toaster has to be plugged in to work. And I must be plugged in, so I can work, too.
Otherwise, I'm just the hamster spinning my wheels without going anywhere.
O Father, thank You so much for plugging me in! Thank You for applying Your grace to me to cleanse me, and to give me Life, so I can grow.
Thank You for putting my feet on level ground, on that Rock that is firm, so my steps will be confident and bold and my feet will not slip or trip.
Lead me, Father, to do everything that You planned for me to do. Let me serve You with all my strength and all my wherewithal which You have given me.
Never let me go, as You have promised to be with me; let me not wander from Your path, either with my feet or with my mind. Create in me that new heart that will think Your thoughts, feel Your feelings, see with Your eyes, and have Your perspective and attitude toward everything in my little world.
Father, enlarge my boundaries, that I may be used of You to do great things in Your eyes, to have many precious jewels in the crown that I will cast at my Lord's feet.
And You will receive all the glory, all the honor, all the credit, all the praise; for all the wisdom and knowledge and strength and cunning is Yours.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
