What does this verse mean to you?

[Spiderman]

2 Cor 12...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses......,
...God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,* in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

I've always wondered what the true meaning of those verses is. They are verses that keeps replaying in my head like a broken record.

What is the meaning of those verses in your opinion? To me it all boils down to humility. Weakness makes us humble and more needy of God's help.

 

[sun rise]

I'm not sure I know the answer but I do agree that humility seems to be the right approach.

 

[osgart]

Humility is seeing yourself as you are in the eyes of what is true , and not above that or below that.

So if you work on your weaknesses and faults and admit them to God, and those that deserve to understand. Than you are in the faith that is of god, whereas God is perfecting his followers through humility.

Supposedly Christians have this kind of community rooted in love. But I don't buy it. I've never seen it. Quite the contrary i've experienced.

Vanity, pride, attitude, and ego are alive and well in these churches.

 

[Brickjectivity]

It is a continuation of his dialogue in chapter 11 which begins with "I hope you will put up with a little foolishness in me" His letter is a reply to another letter that we do not have, so its a little tricky to figure out. Paul goes into a series of boasts, but keep in mind that in early Christian writings such as in James, boasting is considered to be an earthly practice. Saying it is Earthly means it is the ideological equivalent of being unkosher. It is unkosher for Christians to be boastful, makes them unclean. They need to wash up from it and take a step back from the group until they get their minds right again. There is a heavy emphasis in these writers of "Let him who boasts, boast in the LORD." Paul explains his point: "Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say," (2 Corinthians 12:6) Paul is correctly concerned that people gravitate towards charismatic people, and he is pointing out that he specifically avoids talking about his real accomplishments. Paul points this out to criticize some people calling themselves super apostles. I think Paul is calling their boasting a hypocritical practice, because they are drawing attention to themselves and trying to establish themselves as leaders. His list of boasts is supposed to be sarcastic probably. I suppose if you were reading it aloud you'd want to use a stupid voice or perhaps an overly pretentious voice to get the effect.

 

[socharlie]

I think that it is frustration shows just like in Galatians that people do not fully understand his teaching and difference he has with the rest of apostles.

 

[godnotgod]

2 Cor 12...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses......,
...God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,* in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

I've always wondered what the true meaning of those verses is. They are verses that keeps replaying in my head like a broken record.

What is the meaning of those verses in your opinion? To me it all boils down to humility. Weakness makes us humble and more needy of God's help.

"In weakness is our strength"
Lao tzu

Water, though not hard like rock, can wear rock away. You cannot cut it.

This is the expression of the feminine aspect, that of gaining power via yielding.

Gandhi drove the British Empire from India without firing a single shot.

"Resist not, Evil"
Yeshua

Going loggerheads with your enemies only makes them stronger. Yeshua advised just the opposite:

"Love thy enemies"

Tao Quotes on
Yielding
Authentic Quotes from the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu
Here are quotes from the Tao Te Ching, the Taoist classic by Lao Tzu, about yielding.

Yielding
Yielding, like ice about to melt.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 15]

Hulk to be whole.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 22]

Bend to be straight.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 22]

Empty to be filled.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 22]

Wear down to be renewed.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 22]

Reduce to gain.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 22]

The soft and weak overcome the hard and strong.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 36]

Yielding is the manner of the Way.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 40]

The softest in the world surpasses the hardest in the world.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 43]

Holding on to the weak is called strength.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 52]

Because he (the Sage) does not resist, none in the world resists him.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 66]

The rigid tree will be felled.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 76]

The rigid and big belong below. The soft and weak belong above.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 76]

Nothing in the world is softer and weaker than water. Yet, to attack the hard and strong, nothing surpasses it.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 78]

The weak overcomes the strong. The soft overcomes the hard. Everybody in the world knows this, still nobody makes use of it.
[Tao Te Ching chapter 78]

 

[JoshuaTree]

2 Cor 12...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses......,
...God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,* in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

I've always wondered what the true meaning of those verses is. They are verses that keeps replaying in my head like a broken record.

What is the meaning of those verses in your opinion? To me it all boils down to humility. Weakness makes us humble and more needy of God's help.

Once we surrender completely to an all powerful God then we overcome sin death and the power of the devil. God's will be done not our will.

 

[Mark La Buda]

2 Cor 12...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses......,
...God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,* in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

I've always wondered what the true meaning of those verses is. They are verses that keeps replaying in my head like a broken record.

What is the meaning of those verses in your opinion? To me it all boils down to humility. Weakness makes us humble and more needy of God's help.

Verses 7 and 8 introduce what Paul was concern about: self exalting. Perhaps that was the “thorn” he was referring. Although he prayed about it, he finally received an answer that he did not anticipate. He would still endure that human flaw, but he would be strengthened by God’s “undeserved kindness”; and, receive the strength-by Holy Spirit-to endure this thorn along with future trials.-1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4.

 

[nPeace]

2 Cor 12...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses......,
...God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,* in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

I've always wondered what the true meaning of those verses is. They are verses that keeps replaying in my head like a broken record.

What is the meaning of those verses in your opinion? To me it all boils down to humility. Weakness makes us humble and more needy of God's help.

In other words, rather than depending on our own strength, we rely on God, so that even in weakness, we are strong, because of God's power in our behalf.
It's about putting faith in God, rather than relying on our own strength.
Realizing that we can face any trial with God's help.

To help with that, think of Gideon and his 300 men.
The battle was not theirs, but God's, In other words, it not about how mighty the army was, or how large. God could have used 10 men, and gave them the victory.

It's a lesson in learning to rely on God, and not on our own strength... something humans are more prone to do.
That's where lack of faith is found... which isn't compatible with godly devotion and loyalty.

 

[Ben Dhyan]

John 3:30-31
He must increase; I must decrease.

The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth.

 

[fantome profane]

2 Cor 12...but about myself I will not boast, except about my weaknesses......,
...God said “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses,* in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me.

I've always wondered what the true meaning of those verses is. They are verses that keeps replaying in my head like a broken record.

What is the meaning of those verses in your opinion? To me it all boils down to humility. Weakness makes us humble and more needy of God's help.

I think it means that Paul invented the humblebrag.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Jesus turned accepted ways on its ear. The last shall be first; the master shall serve the servant. Humility is Christ-like and will always be the right way to be, even in our ego-driven society.

 

[Ebionite]

I think it means that Paul invented the humblebrag.

Paul didn't get a letter of recommendation from James so he was forced to recommend himself, eg by declaring himself to be an apostle.

 

[Little Dragon]

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”

To me it means, when you are at your weakest, I am at my most powerful.
In other words, when you're in a position of weakness, you will beg for my help.

 

[Little Dragon]

It's a lesson in learning to rely on God, and not on our own strength... something humans are more prone to do.

A terrible thing to teach people. You empower people by making them self reliant and independent, autonomous. You're literally suggesting people should be taught to rely on someone else. Taught that you are too weak and feeble to exist without a deity to beg and plead with, to prop you up.

Yuck. What a hideous philosophy, imo of course.
No offence but that is one of the most grotesque things I've heard someone say for a while.

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

A terrible thing to teach people. You empower people by making them self reliant and independent, autonomous. You're literally suggesting people should be taught to rely on someone else. Taught that you are too weak and feeble to exist without a deity to beg and plead with, to prop you up.

Yuck. What a hideous philosophy, imo of course.

Well said. You stated perfectly what I freed myself of when I disavowed my belief in the biblical god and left Christianity. I've learned that I don't have to rely on the biblical god in order to survive in this world or be a moral person. I can stand on my own and care for myself, as well as take care of my family.

 

[RestlessSoul]

A terrible thing to teach people. You empower people by making them self reliant and independent, autonomous. You're literally suggesting people should be taught to rely on someone else. Taught that you are too weak and feeble to exist without a deity to beg and plead with, to prop you up.

Yuck. What a hideous philosophy, imo of course.
No offence but that is one of the most grotesque things I've heard someone say for a while.

You are young, and full of the pride which comes with self-reliance. But self-reliance, like pride, always fails us in the end. When it does, where will you turn?

 

[Little Dragon]

Well said. You stated perfectly what I freed myself of when I disavowed my belief in the biblical god and left Christianity. I had to learn that I didn't have to rely on the biblical god in order to survive in this world or be a moral person. I can stand on my own and care for myself, as well as take care of my family.

That's it. You don't. You just need to learn from your mistakes! That's it really.
This concept of surrendering of one's own autonomy and personal responsibility, is so alien to me.

 

[Little Dragon]

You are young, and full of the pride which comes with self-reliance. But self-reliance, like pride, always fails us in the end. When it does, where will you turn?

I will turn to me. As always.

 

[Little Dragon]

If I fail, I learn. If I succeed, I learn, all is learning.