Giving our limitations to Jesus

“God has chosen the weak things of the world.”
1 Corinthians 1:27

Nelson achieved all his triumphs by overcoming great handicaps.

Frail and weak, he fell victim to yellow fever in India. He contracted some other unidentified sickness in the West Indies. He, a navy commander, suffered all his life from seasickness. He lost an eye in Corsica. Later, his right hand was amputated. In another fight, he was heavily wounded in the chest.

But, he had learned to overcome pain. And, it was he who defeated the naval forces of France and Spain at Trafalgar.

The hero Nelson also had a weak point. He became the subject of a huge scandal in London and Naples through his involvement with Lady Hamilton, another man’s wife. It is not the physical handicaps that are apt to wreck a man’s life, but rather his weaknesses of character. “He who rules his spirit [is better] than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).

As a human being, Jesus entered life with many handicaps. His birth was rumoured to have been irregular. He belonged to a poor family in an oppressed nation. He never had a rabbinical education. But, He showed that by faith one can conquer obstacles and be the right kind of person. Jesus is the Son of God. Those who believe in Him become children of God. He said, “Everything is possible to the one who believes.”

Don’t worry about your physical handicaps or any other kind of handicap. They can be the best stimulants to great achievement.

Find out your specific weaknesses, and through Christ strengthen the wall of the fortress that is most exposed to the enemy.

Excerpted from Reaching Toward the Heights by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, VOM’s founder.

Reaching Toward the Heights is 365-day devotional in which Pastor Wurmbrand draws upon his own experience in prison and the testimonies of other persecuted Christians to encourage us to elevate our relationship with the Lord. It’s available through our Online Resource Catalogue.