“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 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. 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.” (2 Corinthians 12:8–10 NLT)

 

Very few people have ever been given a vision of Heaven. Imagine the impact such a vision would have on someone. It isn’t hard to envision a scenario in which such a privilege caused someone to become a little arrogant.

Imagine sitting around with a group of people who were talking about where they went for vacation. “We went to Hawaii.” “We went to Tahiti.” “We went to Italy.”

Can you picture the apostle Paul, sitting back, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to trump them all? “I went to Heaven.”

“Heaven? Are you talking about Heavenly Valley, that ski resort near Tahoe?”

“No, I’m talking about Heaven—the place of eternal reward.”

“Uh huh. And what was it like?”

“I can’t really explain it. But it was better than where you went.”

But Paul didn’t get arrogant about his experience because God initiated a plan to keep him from being filled with pride. Paul described it this way: “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” (2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT). He doesn’t say what the thorn in his flesh was. All we know is that it was troublesome enough for Paul to pray to be rid of it.

“Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 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. 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” (2 Corinthians 12:8–10 NLT).

Often, we imagine that we’re at our best when we operate from a position of strength—bold, confident, unshakable, and impervious to trials and tribulations. We convince ourselves that we’re most effective after we’ve cleared the obstacles from our path and overcome our infirmities.

God sees it a different way. He prefers that we operate from a position of weakness so that His strength is unmistakable. He wants us to rely on Him so that others can see us rely on Him so that they will rely on Him, too.

That’s why He allowed hardship in Paul’s life. And that’s why He allows hardship in our lives. Hardship makes people usable in God’s kingdom, if we recognize that hardship for what it is.

 

Reflection question: How can you respond to a current hardship in your life in a way that makes you usable in God’s kingdom? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! Stay updated on all important event details. 

—

The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

 

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

&ldquo;Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.&nbsp;Each time he said, &lsquo;My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.&rsquo; So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That&rsquo;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.&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 12:8&ndash;10 NLT)
&nbsp;
Very few people have ever been given a vision of Heaven. Imagine the impact such a vision would have on someone. It isn&rsquo;t hard to envision a scenario in which such a privilege caused someone to become a little arrogant.
Imagine sitting around with a group of people who were talking about where they went for vacation. &ldquo;We went to Hawaii.&rdquo; &ldquo;We went to Tahiti.&rdquo; &ldquo;We went to Italy.&rdquo;
Can you picture the apostle Paul, sitting back, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to trump them all? &ldquo;I went to Heaven.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Heaven? Are you talking about Heavenly Valley, that ski resort near Tahoe?&rdquo;
&ldquo;No, I&rsquo;m talking about Heaven&mdash;the place of eternal reward.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Uh huh. And what was it like?&rdquo;
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t really explain it. But it was better than where you went.&rdquo;
But Paul didn&rsquo;t get arrogant about his experience because God initiated a plan to keep him from being filled with pride. Paul described it this way: &ldquo;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&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 12:7 NLT). He doesn&rsquo;t say what the thorn in his flesh was. All we know is that it was troublesome enough for Paul to pray to be rid of it.
&ldquo;Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.&nbsp;Each time he said, &lsquo;My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.&rsquo; So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That&rsquo;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&rdquo; (2 Corinthians 12:8&ndash;10 NLT).
Often, we imagine that we&rsquo;re at our best when we operate from a position of strength&mdash;bold, confident, unshakable, and impervious to trials and tribulations. We convince ourselves that we&rsquo;re most effective after we&rsquo;ve cleared the obstacles from our path and overcome our infirmities.
God sees it a different way. He prefers that we operate from a position of weakness so that His strength is unmistakable. He wants us to rely on Him so that others can see us rely on Him so that they will rely on Him, too.
That&rsquo;s why He allowed hardship in Paul&rsquo;s life. And that&rsquo;s why He allows hardship in our lives. Hardship makes people usable in God&rsquo;s kingdom, if we recognize that hardship for what it is.
&nbsp;
Reflection question: How can you respond to a current hardship in your life in a way that makes you usable in God&rsquo;s kingdom?&nbsp;<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
The Harvest Crusade is coming to Angel Stadium on July 11! <a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-crusade-2026/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=SoCal2026">Stay updated on all important event details</a>.&nbsp;
&mdash;
The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."
&nbsp;
All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

Hardship makes people usable in God’s kingdom.