“BECOMING CONCEITED?”

 2 Corinthians 12:7-10                (ESV)

“[7] So to keep me from “BECOMING CONCEITED” because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. [8] Three times I pleaded with the LORD about this, that it should leave me. [9] 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. [10] For the sake of CHRIST, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, THEN I AM STRONG.”

To get down to the TRUTH of the matter, as a father I probably spent more money on my children’s worldly escapades than I ever invested in their SPIRITUAL growth.  What was I REALLY more interested in SEEING, their worldly success or their ETERNAL growth and success?

Imagine if the amount of money being spent on sports, from kids sports to professional sports, was invested into the furthering of the Gospel?  Since ALMIGHTY GOD BLESSES us with even the breaths we breathe, shouldn’t we understand that we are entrusted by our CREATOR with our resources to further HIS purposes, not on earthly matters?  Do we have ETERNAL perspectives when allocating resources entrusted to us by our HEAVENLY FATHER?  Where do we BELIEVE those resources originate from?

One dictionary says that the word CONCEITED means “having an excessively favorable opinion of one's abilities, appearance, etc.”!  The Apostle Paul wanted to have “a thorn in the flesh” removed from him because it was causing him discomfort.  JESUS told him “MY GRACE is sufficient for you, for MY POWER is made perfect in weakness.”!  Shouldn’t we long more for MY GRACE and MY POWER than we long for worldly things??  

FATHER IN HEAVEN, cause me to seek MY GRACE and MY POWER and refrain from “BECOMING CONCEITED” with temporal things!!!