Todd Bumgarner has posted a contrast in perspectives:
“If you will keep the right attitude, God will take care of all your disappointments, broken dreams, the hurts and pains, and He’ll add up all the trouble and sorrow that’s been inflicted on you, and He will pay you back with twice as much peace, joy, happiness, and success.”
–Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now (New York, NY: Faith Words), p 77.
Now, contrast that with Jesus’ words to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
for further comparison, if you have some time, check out these verses that I collected in response to a question:
Mt. 10:37-39; Mt. 16:24-28, Mt. 18:2-4; Mk. 2:17, Mk. 8:34-38; Mk. 10:42-45; Luke 9 esp v. 23-27, 46-48 and 57-62; Lk. 14:25-33; Lk. 21:1-4; Jn. 2:24-26 and Jn. 15:18-21.
takes it right out of our hands, doesn’t it? if God’s grace and blessing are in place only when we “keep the right attitude”, that gives us part of the credit. It is amazing and comforting that in my weakness and inability is when He shows Himself the most. Makes you want to just get out of the way, huh? Our desire for credit in this thing is what messes us up everytime. Praying for Him to get busy shining in my current situation of weakness and inadequacy!
“If we could only look upon a difficult crisis as an occasion of bringing out, on our behalf, the sufficiency of divine grace, it would enable us to preserve the balance of our souls and to glorify God, even in the deepest waters.” – C.H. Mackintosh (from the Red Sea Rules)
His grace is everything. Everything.
indeed it is.