Strength in Weakness: Embracing God's Power
Summary
In the midst of the Olympics, I find myself reflecting on the profound words of the Apostle Paul, particularly his message that God's strength is perfected in our weakness. This reflection was inspired by my recent visit to Montana, where I spent time with friends, including Jimmy Hawthorne, whose father, Jerry Hawthorne, was a significant influence in my life. Jerry, a brilliant yet humble scholar, often spoke of his own sense of inadequacy, which made him approachable and impactful to many students. His teachings remind us that our imperfections and weaknesses are not barriers but opportunities for God's power to manifest.
Jerry's insights, drawn from 2 Corinthians 12:9, emphasize that only the imperfect can be perfected, and only the weak can become strong. This message resonates deeply, especially when we are tempted to hide behind our weaknesses. Jerry's life exemplified the courage to persist despite personal vulnerabilities, demonstrating that God's grace and our cooperation can transform our imperfections into strengths.
As I watched the Olympic 100-meter race, I was reminded of Paul's words about pressing on towards the goal. Noah Lyles, initially in last place, leaned into the race, ultimately winning by leaning forward at the finish line. This act of leaning in, both physically and metaphorically, is a powerful illustration of how we should approach life's challenges. Like Parker Palmer, who overcame his fear while rock climbing by leaning into the mountain, we too must lean into our difficulties, trusting that God's strength will be made perfect in our weakness.
Today, whatever challenges you face, remember that God's power is available to you. Embrace your weaknesses, for they are the very places where God's dynamic power can triumph. Just as the cross, a symbol of ultimate weakness, became the site of God's greatest victory, so too can our weaknesses become the stage for God's strength. Keep running your race, and let God's strength be made perfect in your weakness.
Key Takeaways:
1. Embrace Weakness: Our weaknesses are not obstacles but opportunities for God's power to manifest. By acknowledging our imperfections, we open ourselves to God's transformative strength. [03:06]
2. Courage in Vulnerability: Like Jerry Hawthorne, who faced his vulnerabilities with courage, we too can find strength in our weaknesses. God's grace, combined with our willingness to persevere, can turn our inadequacies into strengths. [05:09]
3. Leaning into Challenges: Noah Lyles' victory in the 100-meter race illustrates the power of leaning into challenges. By pressing forward and not shying away from difficulties, we can achieve victory in our own lives. [08:13]
4. The Power of the Cross: The cross, a symbol of weakness, became the site of God's greatest triumph. Similarly, our weaknesses can become the stage for God's strength to be perfected and displayed. [09:33]
5. Running the Race: Life is a race, and we are called to keep running despite discouragement or difficulty. By trusting in God's strength, we can overcome obstacles and fulfill our purpose. [09:50]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:49] - Olympic Reflections
- [01:04] - Influences from Montana
- [01:22] - Jerry Hawthorne's Legacy
- [02:07] - Morning Devotionals
- [02:49] - Strength in Weakness
- [03:25] - Understanding Dunamis
- [04:00] - Paul's Thorn in the Flesh
- [04:50] - Overcoming Weakness
- [05:26] - Transforming Imperfections
- [06:03] - Olympic Race Insights
- [06:49] - Pressing Onward
- [07:24] - Leaning into Challenges
- [08:13] - Embracing the Lean
- [09:33] - The Power of the Cross
- [10:04] - Running Your Race
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
- 2 Corinthians 12:9
- Philippians 3:13-14
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Observation Questions:
1. What does 2 Corinthians 12:9 reveal about the relationship between weakness and God's strength? How does this relate to Jerry Hawthorne's life as described in the sermon? [03:06]
2. In the sermon, how did Jerry Hawthorne's sense of inadequacy contribute to his impact on students? [01:53]
3. How did Noah Lyles' approach to the 100-meter race illustrate the concept of "leaning into challenges"? [08:13]
4. What is the significance of the cross being described as a symbol of weakness that became a site of God's greatest triumph? [09:33]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the idea that "only the imperfect can be perfected" challenge common perceptions of strength and weakness? [04:16]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that embracing our weaknesses can lead to personal growth and transformation? [05:26]
3. How does the metaphor of running a race, as used by Paul in Philippians 3:13-14, apply to the challenges we face in life? [06:49]
4. What does the sermon imply about the role of vulnerability and courage in overcoming personal challenges? [05:09]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on a personal weakness you have been tempted to hide. How might embracing this weakness allow God's strength to manifest in your life? [04:50]
2. Consider a situation where you felt inadequate. How can you draw inspiration from Jerry Hawthorne's example to find courage and perseverance? [05:09]
3. Think about a current challenge you are facing. How can you "lean into" this challenge, trusting that God's strength will be made perfect in your weakness? [08:13]
4. How can the concept of the cross as a symbol of weakness and triumph encourage you in moments of personal failure or vulnerability? [09:33]
5. Identify a "race" you are currently running in your life. What steps can you take to keep pressing on towards your goal, despite any discouragement or difficulty? [09:50]
6. Reflect on a time when you felt like giving up. How can the message of God's power being perfected in weakness motivate you to keep going? [09:02]
7. How can you apply the lesson of "leaning in" from Noah Lyles' race to a specific area of your life where you feel challenged or stuck? [08:13]
Devotional
Day 1: Embracing Weakness as a Gateway to Divine Power
Our weaknesses are not obstacles but opportunities for God's power to manifest. By acknowledging our imperfections, we open ourselves to God's transformative strength. When we embrace our vulnerabilities, we allow God to work through us, turning our perceived shortcomings into avenues for His glory. This perspective shifts our focus from self-reliance to divine reliance, where God's strength is made perfect in our weakness. [03:06]
"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." (2 Corinthians 12:9, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a specific weakness you have been trying to hide. How can you invite God to use this area as a platform for His strength today?
Day 2: Courage in Vulnerability
Like Jerry Hawthorne, who faced his vulnerabilities with courage, we too can find strength in our weaknesses. God's grace, combined with our willingness to persevere, can turn our inadequacies into strengths. By embracing our vulnerabilities, we allow God's grace to work through us, transforming our lives and the lives of those around us. This courage to be vulnerable is not a sign of weakness but a testament to our faith in God's power to transform. [05:09]
"For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV)
Reflection: Think of a time when you felt inadequate. How can you approach a similar situation with courage and vulnerability, trusting in God's grace to transform your weakness into strength?
Day 3: Leaning into Life's Challenges
Noah Lyles' victory in the 100-meter race illustrates the power of leaning into challenges. By pressing forward and not shying away from difficulties, we can achieve victory in our own lives. This act of leaning in, both physically and metaphorically, is a powerful illustration of how we should approach life's challenges. By trusting in God's strength, we can overcome obstacles and fulfill our purpose. [08:13]
"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own." (Philippians 3:12, ESV)
Reflection: What is one challenge you are currently facing? How can you lean into it today, trusting that God will provide the strength you need to overcome it?
Day 4: The Cross as a Symbol of Strength in Weakness
The cross, a symbol of weakness, became the site of God's greatest triumph. Similarly, our weaknesses can become the stage for God's strength to be perfected and displayed. By embracing the cross, we acknowledge that our weaknesses are not the end but the beginning of God's transformative work in our lives. This perspective allows us to see our struggles as opportunities for God's power to be revealed. [09:33]
"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on a personal struggle that feels like a cross to bear. How can you view this struggle as an opportunity for God's power to be revealed in your life?
Day 5: Running the Race with Endurance
Life is a race, and we are called to keep running despite discouragement or difficulty. By trusting in God's strength, we can overcome obstacles and fulfill our purpose. This journey requires perseverance and faith, knowing that God's power is made perfect in our weakness. As we run our race, we are reminded that our ultimate goal is not perfection but faithfulness to the path God has set before us. [09:50]
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." (Hebrews 12:1, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area of your life where you feel discouraged? How can you lay aside this weight and run with endurance, trusting in God's strength to guide you?
Quotes
Jerry would often talk about being like Winnie the Pua bear little brains even though he was very very bright and somehow his sense of weakness instead of getting the way getting in the way of what he contributed actually was a part of it somehow for as brilliant a scholar as he was uh that sense that he had of his own inadequacy made him very approachable and very very safe for any of us that had something difficult that we wanted to talk about. [00:96:00]
When your story gets difficult today if not today, tomorrow he has um the phrase from the Apostle Paul 2 Corinthians 12 verse 99 where God says strength uh is perfected in weakness and the word for strength or power that belongs to God, dunamus. My wife says that anytime folks in the church talk about dunamis they'll talk about how we get the word Dynamite from that but that's because it's always men preachers who talk about it they love to blow things up and um it's also has to do with words like Dynamic. [00:177:40]
Now we all know that Perfection cannot be perfected but we forget and need to be reminded that only the imperfect can be perfected and only the weak can become strong and this is you and me now and only the unskilled can become skilled and Dr hawthor wrote this word came to Paul when he was tempted to hide behind his weakness. [00:245:59]
Let us never make weakness our excuse and it's very moving because I think about how often in Dr Hawthorne's life um given his own vulnerability to anxiety and worry and a sense of inadequacy he was called to generate demonstrate ask God for the courage to keep going on in ways that nobody would ever understand the cost of him but all of us found so deeply inspiring for by God's grace a power and our own cooperation with that power something happens our imperfections can move forward to toward Perfection our lack of skill can be totally transformed and weakness can become strength. [00:303:12]
The Apostle Paul said this one thing I do forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead I press on towards the mark using the image of that Runner who will just not stop running and he kept going and eventually he pulled ahead uh at the end he was very very close to actually the top four or five runners in particular to Jamaican Runner who ended up with a silver medal and what made the difference what won the race was he leaned in it was the lead when they showed it that won the race. [00:401:12]
Parker Palmer who would also struggle sometimes with a sense of depression and a sense of weakness and inadequacy and he was one time having to climb up a very difficult uh rock climbing uh uh section of a mountain and he was terrified and just wanted to stop and what happens very often when you're in a situation like that is um that you want to lean in and hug the mountain and uh actually you have to be willing in that moment to lean in a direction that you would not normally lean. [00:442:52]
So now today whatever it is that you're facing there will be something there will be a challenge there will be a problem you'll get news that you didn't want to hear there will be uh a difficulty at work I don't know how to solve it there'll be somebody in my family that I will want to help or I will find uh a weakness in myself a tendency to withdraw or to get angry or to quit and I want to use my weakness as an excuse to stop as an excuse to hide. [00:496:68]
There is a strength that is available to us and we thank God for that strength but then thank God for your weakness because for some reason I don't understand that power that particular kind of power is made perfect in weakness and we see that ultimately on the cross which was in Jesus's day in the ancient world the place of the ultimate expression of weakness and failure and that is the very place that the power of God the dynamic by the dunamis of God triumphed over death and resulted in Resurrection. [00:551:92]
There's a great race going on your story is among other things the story of a great race so don't stop don't quit don't let discouragement or difficulty get in the way you keep going today at that point and remember oh God oh God oh God may it be so may your strength be made perfect in my weakness you got one story you have one day for it make it. [00:584:68]
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