Tag Archives: thorn

COMPASSION JESUS’S WAY – 3

Christian Life, ,

Pulling the thorn of rejection.

Mark 6:34 NLT
[34] “Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

To feed and care for the sheep, Jesus taught them many things. He knew that knowledge and understanding leading to appropriate action are the best way to overcome the wounds others inflict on His sheep by what they say and do.

Hebrews 12:14-15 NLT
[14] “Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. [15] Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”

Today, we’ll examine another issue that harms and disturbs the peace we crave in our hearts and in our relationships with one another… one person’s habit of controlling another.

Why are some people “control freaks”?

We encounter, or even live with someone who constantly dominates, interrupts, and takes over our conversation, telling us what to do, or even criticising, condemning, or controlling our every move. Some wives, for example, are prisoners of their husband’s controlling behaviour, and children are harmed by a father who blocks and interferes with all their movements, creating resentment and fear.

What triggers this kind of behaviour?

Apparently, insecurity is the core reason for a person’s controlling behaviour. Why is a person insecure? Why does he/she need to dominate and control others?

For convenience let’s call the person “she”.

At some point in her life when she was young and incapable of processing thoughtless words that some significant person in her life spoke, words like…
“You can do better!”
“You’ll never amount to anything.”
“Why can’t you be like your brother/ sister?”
“When are you going to learn?”

…which made her feel worthless, useless, hopeless, and rejected. These are “thorns” that lodge deep in her soul and begin to fester.

An insecure person uses control to express the need to be “somebody”. They try to obliterate the feelings of uselessness and rejection by claiming the limelight.

In the way other people try to control us, they are conveying an unspoken message that causes us deep harm. “I am bigger, better, know more, can do more… than you!” Such a person is, saying, in effect, “You are nothing. I reject you.”

People who feel rejected react in different ways. Some cover their hurt with outbursts of violent anger. Some creep into their shells and become shy, weak, and over-complaint nobodies. Others resort to being dominating and controlling “know-it-alls” in an effort to feel significant. They have are so traumatised that they resort to controlling others to cover up their own nothingness.

Unfortunately, we either behave in one of these ways or we become victims of these kinds of behaviour, all expressions of rejection, without understanding the reasons behind them. Do we ever ask the question, for example, “Why do I feel so angry?” or “Why am I afraid of people?” or “Why do I have to be in the limelight all the time?”… or “Why does so-and-so make me feel so useless?”

These abnormal ways of behaving are expressions of insecurity. We don’t know who we really are. We are uncomfortable inside our own skin. We react to these feelings by covering up and burying them under unacceptable behaviour.

I believe that there is not a person on earth who has not felt rejected at some time in life. We have a society full of people bumping into each other to cover up our feelings of inadequacy.

Let’s look at rejection. What is rejection? Why is rejection so damaging?

My thoughts turned to Jesus. Suffering was the Father’s way of qualifying Him to be our Saviour.

Hebrews 2:10 NLT
[10] “God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.”

What was the nature of Jesus’ suffering? Was it the physical suffering He endured when He was crucified? Was it the indignities He suffered as a human? Isaiah and John give us the clue.

Isaiah 53:3 NLT
[3]”He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.”

John 1:10-11 NLT
[10] “He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. [11] He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.”

Contempt! Rejection! The very core of Jesus’ suffering. Rejection was the worst that humans could inflict on their God.

The Hebrew word for rejection means “vacant”.

I asked Meta (an AI service on WhatsApp that provides information on anything you want to know), for the meaning of “vacant” and what an insightful reply I received! Here is the summary. “In general, vacant implies a sense of emptiness, lack, or unoccupation.”

The Bible says that Jesus purposefully emptied Himself until He became nothing. In the eyes of His enemies He was rejected because they considered Him to be “vacant”! Even His family thought He was crazy!

When someone rejects you through derogatory words or actions, they treat you as, and leave you feeling “vacant”. There can be no attitude towards you more damaging than this. When you believe the words that make you feel empty, useless, unwanted, you eventually become what you believe. If you take these words to heart, you will be emotionally crippled by their poison. These words become a thorn that is driven deep into the core of who you are.

The Apostle Paul was also called to the same suffering, rejection by his own people and by the Gentiles to whom he was sent. Like Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles wanted to kill him, and eventually they did.

Acts of the Apostles 9:15-16 NLT
[15] “But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. [16] And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.”

How does one deal with rejection? You cannot undo the words that produced the feeling of rejection but you can pull out the” thorn” that caused the festering wound.

God gave Paul the answer to his “thorn”.

2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT
[7], …”So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.”

“A thorn in my flesh” is a particularly meaningful expression to Paul on his description. The insinuation that he was vacant, rejected, aroused violent reactions from his old, fleshly, sinful nature. Was Paul saying that the rejection he faced from both Jews and Gentiles caused his flesh to rise up in rebellion, defence? Did he react with anger, resentment, bitterness, thoughts of revenge? However…

First, Paul recognised, on hindsight, that his “thorn”, though initiated by the devil, had a purpose, to remind him of who he really was, a frail human utterly reliant on the Lord. He had no power in himself to overcome his fleshly reactions.

Second, Paul had to, “pull the thorn” by dealing with his anger and resentment against those who rejected him. When God revealed his thorn’s purpose, Paul understood its value, to teach him reliance on God’s grace, to stop being angry with his persecutors and to trust God in his circumstances. Anger and resentment caused the “thorn” to fester in his heart. He pulled it out by admitting he was wrong, forgiving those who rejected him, and replacing sinful reactions with a new perspective.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 NLT
[9] Each time he (God) said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Meta added this amazing perspective on rejection…

“Rejection can be tough but shifting our perspective can help. Seeing rejection as a “vacant” space that’s available for something new and better to come in can be really liberating.”

Wow, that’s exactly how Paul responded to his thorn, once he had pulled it out. Gratitude to the Lord for the opportunity to receive His “enough” grace replaced his prayer to get rid of the thorn. God didn’t pull it out. Paul pulled the thorn out and allowed the wound to heal by changing his perspective and his attitude.

Once the thorn is out, we still need to deal with the infection, the dead cells and purulence that remain in the wound. The infection is caused by “bacteria” introduced by the thorn, the lies we believed that festered and caused the emotional
pain.

The medicine we use to counter the lies is the truth of God’s Word. We receive healing by “being transformed by the renewing of our minds.” By reading and believing what God says about us, we replace lies with truth.

Isaiah 53:5 NIV
[5] “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are HEALED.”

Healing of the wound and cleaning out the infection caused by the thorn happen by replacing the lies of the devil with the truth of God’s Word.

Jesus’ death in our place forgave all our sin, reconciled us to the Father and made us fully acceptable to Him. We are His beloved sins and daughters. What could be better than that?

Jesus said,

John 6:37 NLT
[37]”Those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.”

So, we can also shake off rejection as Paul shook off the poisonous snake and have no after effects. Through knowledge and understanding, Jesus has set us free from our pain and provided us with the food and water of the “green pastures and quiet waters”.

To be concluded…

SOME PUZZLES OF SCRIPTURE – 3

Bible Study, ,

The Apostle Paul also had experiences that puzzle us if we fail to understand their purpose and context.

‭2 Corinthians 12:1-2, 5, 7-10 NLT‬
[1] This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. [2] I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows….
[5] That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses…
[7]…So, to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. [8] Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. [9] Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. [10] That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul was trying to justify his positions as ‘spiritual father’ to the church at Corinth. There were others who came to teach them but not always the truth. Paul had opportunity to boast about out-of-body experiences but, rather than brag about these, he chose to boast about what God had done to keep him humble.

He speaks of an unusual gift which he called ‘a thorn in the flesh’. Where did this expression originate and what does it mean?

God used this expression to explain to His people the reason for them to exterminate the Canaanites when they entered the Promised Land. If the Israelites lived among the Canaanites, they would soon worship their gods and adopt their ways. Idolatry is like a thorn which pierces the flesh, causing pain and infection, and eventually death if not eradicated. Idolatry defiles everyone, tempting idolaters to do evil.

‭Judges 2:1-3 NLT‬
[1] “The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said to the Israelites, “I brought you out of Egypt into this land that I swore to give your ancestors, and I said I would never break my covenant with you. [2] For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? [3] So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be THORNS in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”

‭Deuteronomy 29:18 NLT‬
[18] “I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears BITTER and POISONOUS FRUIT.”

The writer to the Hebrews warns against bitterness. The root of grudges and offenses that makes people bitter is self and particularly self-pity, which is idolatry.

‭Hebrews 12:15 NLT‬
[15]”Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.”

Only God’s grace can deliver us from bitterness. We become our own god when we elevate ourselves above others, judging them but not ourselves.

When Paul was constantly faced with trouble and hardship, and especially persecution from his own people as well as from the Roman government, he thought Satan was after him. Satan probably was, but Paul had something else to learn.

His prayers for deliverance went unanswered but…God promised him enough grace to overcome every situation so that he would not become bitter against those who caused him trouble. He was never to elevate himself above other people. Rather, he was to submit himself to God’s sovereignty and celebrate the hardships that reminded him of his weakness and kept his feet on the ground.

No, Paul was not sick, nor did he have eye problems as some have tried to identify his ‘thorn’. He himself tells us what his thorn was.

‭2 Corinthians 12:10 NLT‬
[10″That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

What a valuable lesson to learn! Paul exulted in the suffering he experienced for his obedience to Jesus. It was the trials and hardships that kept him from having inflated ideas about himself that would have fuelled an attitude of self-sufficiency and cut him off from God’s grace.

‭James 4:6 NLT‬
[6] And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Once again, the Bible explains itself and leads us to understand the truth if what God wants us to know.

To be continued…

WHAT WAS PAUL’S THORN?

Christian Life, ,

WHAT WAS PAUL’S THORN?

Many interesting theories have been suggested in answer to the question, “What was Paul’s thorn?” Some suggest that it was a physical ailment, a sickness, or a serious eye condition, backed up by his use of a scribe to write his letters.

Does Paul himself answer this question? What lessons can Paul’s “thorn” offer us in our walk with the Lord?

Firstly, where in the Bible does the idea of a thorn originate?

55 But if you fail to drive out the people who live in the land, those who remain will be like splinters in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will harass you in the land where you live. 56 And I will do to you what I had planned to do to them.”

Numbers 33:55-56 NLT

Befote Israel’s occupation of the Promised Land, God warned His people not to tolerate idol-worshippers among them. If they failed to rid the land of the Canaanites, the Canaanites’ idolatry would be both a constant irritation to them and a lure to participate in their ungodly behaviour.

In the New Covenant, what the Canaanites were to Israel, the flesh is to the believer. The Apostle Paul warned the Galatians that there is a relentless war going on between the flesh and the spirit, triggered by the people and circumstances in our lives that rub us up the wrong way, and our reactions to them.

The flesh demands that we retaliate while the Spirit calls us to resist the temptation to react by remaining in the love of God because He is the supreme authority in all our circumstances. Through these uncomfortable or trying circumstances, God calls us to reign over our flesh by receiving His grace to overcome.

The bottom line in this war between flesh and spirit is the issue of idolatry. When we allow our flesh to dictate our responses to the tests, we declare ourselves to be god. We think we know better than God; we make our own rules and are, at that moment, eating “the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”, declaring independence from God and no need of Him to help us in this war.

What is idolatry?

18 I am making this covenant with you so that no one among you—no man, woman, clan, or tribe—will turn away from the Lord our God to worship these gods of other nations, and so that no root among you bears bitter and poisonous fruit.

Deuteronomy 29:18 NLT

The writer to the Hebrews speaks of idolatry as a poisonous root of bitterness.

14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.

Hebrews 12:14,15 NLT

Idolatry is that attitude that I don’t need God. I am self-sufficient; I can navigate life’s problems on my own. However, by doing so, I inadvertently put my confidence in some other source. most often money or some person or thing I lean on for support. I am essentially my own god because I replace the true God with my own solutions and act on my own wisdom.

When I react in anger or bitterness to some affront to the god I am, I compound my accuser’s sin with my own which does not solve the issue. It only makes it worse.

During Paul’s ministry to the Gentiles, which was his calling, he was confronted by hostility from the Jews, the Gentiles, the Roman government and even the geographical environment in which he worked. He was tired and frustrated by all these hindrances, this “thorn in his side”, these ungodly people who interfered with his ministry. He begged the Lord three times to take it (the thorn) away.

What Paul did not realise that, though the “thorn” was from Satan, designed to stop him from doing God’s will, it was the very instrument the Lord was using to teach Paul how to overcome the danger of his flesh.

God was using the very hatred and opposition to the gospel Paul was experiencing to protect him from the danger of thinking that his “supernatural revelations” made him better than others. Pride would cut him off from fellowship with Jesus.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1 Peter 5:6 NLT

Paul’s greatest asset was not the revelations that gave him understanding of the message he was called to proclaim or the eloquence with which he preached and taught. He was not to revel in the visions of heaven and eternity he was privileged to experience. His greatest asset was the “thorn” of opposition and persecution, of hardships and deprivation that kept him in intimate touch with his Lord because of his need for humble dependence on Him.

Paul would never fully experience the power to overcome his fleshly responses without the tests that exposed his weakness. The very weakness of his flesh qualified him to receive all the grace he needed to maintain his close connection to Jesus and to draw his life from Him.

God knows exactly what form our “thorn” should take to keep us dependant on the power of His grace to overcome our weakness. Instead of viewing our thorn as a hindrance, we should recognise that God gift-wraps His grace in a package that appears distasteful to us.

The wrapping may appear unsightly, but the gift within is valuable beyond understanding. Only as we open the package and unwrap the grace, will we appreciate the love that gave us the gift. God’s passion is to bind us to Him in loving trust and unity. He will do whatever it takes to keep our hearts in submission to Him.