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Devotional | Sheila Urton | Jun 27, 2021
“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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
I was doing some reading last week and the author used the word “drudgery” in a sentence. This is not a word that we often hear today, but I think we all can relate to it.
The dictionary defines drudgery as dull and fatiguing work. That immediately makes me think of several things like cleaning the house, pulling weeds in the flower beds, giving our 90-pound dog a bath, or doing the dishes, just to name a few. And if I’m being honest, sometimes I experience drudgery in my spiritual walk.
While I would like to think that each day is filled with big moments where I feel a sense of excitement and the overwhelming presence of God, the true reality of my journey of following Christ can sometimes seem repetitive and tiresome.
The effort of trying to replace the old habits of my sinful earthly nature with those of a new nature in Christ would be much easier if it happened miraculously with a shout of “I did it! I’m finished!” and God responded with “Great job! You can relax now.” But the reality is, it takes daily obedience to Christ to change my nature to be more like Him - daily saying no to my human desires and saying yes to what God desires for me and asks of me. And some days, I just have a hard time mustering up the strength to do that.
In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers says, “Drudgery is the test of genuine character … Don’t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God.” That brings a whole new perspective for the word “drudgery,” doesn’t it? Those small, common things we do as we work on replacing our sinful nature with the nature of Christ are actually an opportunity for him to consistently display his power in our lives.
The Apostle Paul dealt with a daily challenge he referred to as his “thorn in the flesh.” He pleaded with God to remove it, but God’s answer was a resounding no. God’s response to Paul can be found in 2 Corinthians 12:9. “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.’ So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.’”
The Greek word for “sufficient” used here implies endurance, strength, or satisfaction. Sounds odd for someone to say they are going to boast about their weakness, doesn’t it? But in doing so, we are reassured in the realization that God can take our day-to-day challenge or a situation we are dealing with and turn it into an opportunity for him to display his strength and power in our lives. In other words, we don’t have to come up with the strength to do things. God has that covered!
I don’t know what you are struggling with that makes life seem like drudgery. Maybe it’s interacting with a difficult co-worker, maybe it’s caring for a family member or managing a personal illness, maybe you find it challenging to take time for the daily discipline of spending time reading the Bible and praying, or maybe you are struggling with a particular sin that is keeping you from moving forward in your walk with Christ. No matter what the circumstance, don’t get discouraged. Instead, be encouraged in the fact that Christ can display his perfect power through the common times of the drudgery of life.
Dear Lord,
We praise you for who you are, a loving God who is actively working in our lives. As we strive to walk with you daily, let our hearts be open to your direction for our lives. Help us to depend on your power in the common and often tiresome times of life as we boast in our weakness. We are thankful that no matter how inconsistent our lives can be, your love and grace for us is constant.
Amen.
Sheila Urton, Project Management Controller | surton@crossings.church
Sheila is Project Management Controller at Crossings Community Church. She enjoys supporting the needs of our various ministries at Crossings by ensuring the physical environment at our campuses is inviting to all who step through the doors.