Strength in Weakness- author unknown
A minister concluded that his church was getting into serious financial trouble.
Coincidentally, while checking the church storeroom, he discovered several cartons of new Bibles that had never been opened and distributed. So at his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the Bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church.
On the next Sunday, the reverend turned apprehensively to little Louie and said, “And Louie, did you manage to sell any Bibles last week?”
Louie silently offered the reverend a large envelope. The reverend opened it and counted the contents.
“What is this?” the reverend exclaimed. “Louie, there’s $3,200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 Bibles for the church door-to-door in just one week?”
Louie just nodded.
“That’s impossible!” both Peter and Paul said in unison. “We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold ten times as many Bibles as we could.”
“Yes, this does seem unlikely,” the reverend agreed. “I think you’d better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie.”
Louie shrugged. “I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don’t kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure,” he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted. “For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!”
“A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was,” Louis replied, “W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this B-B-B-B-Bible f-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks—o-o-o-or—wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you?”
Louie knew how to gain an advantage from a weakness.
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Advantage from weakness- sounds a bit like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But just last night, I witnessed this concept in action, well watched it on TV. We were watching one of those very popular talent shows and saw one of my favorite things happen. I just love it when someone comes out who at first appears to be a ‘dud’ act. The judges on this particular show are not rude and mean as they are on others, but you could tell from their faces they were already feeling very sad for the aspiring comedian as they anticipated turning him down. You see, this man, who was choosing a career requiring an incredible amount of speaking, had one of the most severe stutters I have ever heard. The stutter was a result of an accident which damaged his throat. But what an inspiring young man! He basically told the judges that he was not going to be beaten by his disability, Instead he would use it to his advantage. And, incredibly, he did just that. By the end of his act, he had the entire audience, judges included, in the palm of his hands.
Advantage from weakness. Strength from weakness. Paul talks about just that concept in 2 Corinthians. Listen to this verse found in chapter 2 verse 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 about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” I think this is a concept near and dear to the heart of God. He delights in using us in spite of, or perhaps even because of, our weaknesses. Look at Gideon. Cowering in a winepress, too terrified to thresh his wheat in public, he is called by God to deliver his people. God didn’t choose a mighty warrior, but instead, chose a coward who became a warrior through his faith in God.
If you are feeling like Gideon, weak and ineffective, due to your weakness, look to God for strength. He may just use you in ways you can’t begin to imagine yet. Your weakness, your disability, may be exactly the tool He wishes to use for His advantage!
Have a blessed day!
Cellebrate Life 