Grace Enough

Perhaps you've caught yourself moaning or groaning about one thing or another. I'm sure I do my share but Mister Bill wins the prize around here. His moans and groans come from his insistence on doing twenty-year-old stuff with a seventy-year-old body! Scripture says, "For we know that if the tent which is our earthly home is destroyed (dissolved), we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Here indeed, in this [present abode, body], we sigh and groan inwardly, because we yearn to be clothed over [we yearn to put on our celestial body like a garment, to be fitted out] with our heavenly dwelling." (2 Corinthians 5:1-2, AMP). The result of sin is widespread! "For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves ... even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22-23, NASB). As tempted as we may be to moan-and-groan with the notion we have cause or reason, these verses do not give us permission to embrace a life of misery. When Paul was challenged with a "thorn in the flesh" (Romans 12:7) and asked God to remove it: "He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness" (Romans 12:9, NASB). Paul went on to say, "I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong" (V.10). Wow! That brings a whole perspective to moaning and groaning. Life is hard and there will always be cause to give-in to the groans of weaknesses, whatever they may be. Here's why we moan-and-groan NOT - Christ is ... grace enough.