3.7.21 True Strength

As Paul begins to wrap up his defense of his apostleship, he lays out a puzzling apparent contradiction -- "When I am weak, then I am strong." No doubt his original audience found it confusing as well. After all, when we're strong, we're strong. When we're weak, we're weak. Everyone knows that. The Corinthians were all about the strong and the flashy. The worldly skills of these false apostles were quite impressive to them. Here, in II Corinthians 12, Paul reveals truth that will inspire and liberate all of us. The burden of maintaining an image of strength is absolutely exhausting. Paul goes so far as to say that he is glad to boast about his weaknesses. This week is shaping up to be a life-changing conversation.