Infirmities;
An unsound state of the body; weakness; feebleness.
Defect; imperfection; weakness.
“A friend should bear a friend's infirmities.”Webster.”

In this life we are surrounded by many infirmities, not only of the body but with the spirit also.
We are made strong by our acceptance of our limitations and our instability.
No one man knows all about the scriptures, if so then that man would be perfect, and as we know, there is none perfect, no, not one.

“Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.”

Just as Paul admitted, he could not claim perfection that was not there.
He could not glory in the wisdom and knowledge that the Lord, threw the Holy Spirit, gave him.
This was not his knowledge nor wisdom, but it belonged to the Lord.
For man never wrote the Bible, but it was given to men by the inspiration from God, this is stated, as fact, in the Bible.
To glorify oneself is a mistake, for we have nothing to glory in except the knowledge of the Lord.
For he stated about this thorn;
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.”


Glorify;
To praise; to magnify and honor in worship; to ascribe honor to, in thought or words.
“Whom he justified, them he also glorified.”
Exaltation to honor and dignity; elevation to glory. “God is glorified, when such his excellency, above all things, is with due admiration acknowledged.”


The ministers of this Gospel, do not seek glory, but rather they seek the lost for the Kingdom of God, all this to His glory.
Our infirmities keep us humble and obedient.
The Apostle Paul realized this when a spirit of aggravation came to him so that he would remember who was to be glorified.

“I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth.”
A fool is, In common language, a person who is somewhat deficient in intellect, but not an idiot; or a person who acts absurdly; one who does not exercise his reason; one who pursues a course contrary to the dictates of wisdom.
For as with Paul, and us, we must exercise wisdom along with our knowledge of the excellency of Jesus Christ. That is where we glory, where we boast, not of ourselves but of Him.

“for I will say the truth.”

Truth is; Conformity to fact or reality; exact accordance with that which is, or has been, or shall be.
Aberrance is; In a figurative sense, a deviation from truth, error, mistake; and in morals, a fault, a deviation from rectitude.

Mankind has always had a problem with the truth.
For as the sun rises and sets, there is still only one truth, the truth of the Gospel, for its not just a Gospel of Jesus Christ, but the Gospel, commandments, precepts and Laws, of a merciful God.
Men have said that the only truth comes from the history of the world, but as they uncover the actual truth they still deny it.

Just as with the flood of Noah, fish, shells and other sea creature fossils are being found all over the world, they discover these things in the Alps, the Andes and in the desert of Saudi Arabia, but this truth is somehow still explained away.

“And lest I should be exalted above measure(Beyond the honor that the Lord states ministers should be given.) through the abundance(overflowing quantity; ample sufficiency. It denotes also fullness, overflowing, as the abundance of the heart.)
of the revelations(That which is revealed; appropriately, the sacred truths which God has communicated to man for his instruction and direction.),
there was given to me a thorn(In Scripture, great difficulties and impediments.) in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me(To beat in contention; to contend against.), lest I should be exalted above measure.

For this thing I besought the Lord thrice(Three times.), that it might depart from me.
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.(Not in His weakness, but rather in the weakness of those that follow after Him.) Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

“there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,”;
Many times we face many a hardship, loss of finances, loss of food, clothing, the loss of a loved one, a pastor-ship and others.
We also face persecution, hatred, and we are despised for our faith in Jesus Christ, but threw all this we are blessed by the Lord for being chosen to be in these infirmities.
For as it is written;
“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.”

The Apostle Paul suffered many things, that were 1. The payment for his transgression against the established church and 2. for the sake of the gospel that he believed upon. This is the example that we today must follow. Paul was a preacher to the gentiles, he stated that we as believers in Christ must suffer as Christ suffered. Many Christians suffer hunger at times, this to keep us humble, they suffer as many none believers suffer, but we have a High Priest that we can go to, when things get to be more of a burden that we can bear.

We will not be temped by the Lord, for He does not tempt man, but He will try us, by our infirmities, to make us stronger, especially in the end days. For there is coming a day of retribution that the Christians will see, but be exempt from.


“And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
But sanctify the Lord God(To sanctify God, to praise and celebrate him as a holy being; to acknowledge and honor his holy majesty, and to reverence his character and laws.

God sanctifies himself or his name, by vindicating his honor from the reproaches of the wicked, and manifesting his glory.)
in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:.”

Let your infirmities be a blessing and a strength when you are compassed by them. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord for His excellent Greatness. Praise the Lord when you are chosen to suffer as a Christian, trust in His deliverance, trust in His provisioning, and Trust in Him to Glorify, Justify and sanctify you. Ars.



Webster,TSK,KJV.
2Co 12:5-10 Rom 8. Mat 22. Luke 6. 1Pe 3:13-15 1Pe 4:16 Ezek 36. Isa 8.

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