“The crucifixion of Jesus redefines the nature of suffering and death.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 5, 2026
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 1 Corinthians 2:1-3, NKJV
It’s not easy to show our weaknesses. In truth, we’ve spent most of our lives learning to, as they say, “put our best foot forward.” We seek to present ourselves to the world as competent and confident, ready to help and take on any task. This is our posture at work, how we long to be viewed in our community, and the image we curate of ourselves online.
Apparently St. Paul never got this message!
In today’s passage, we encounter a man who is confident in his shortcomings and unashamed of being truly known. Paul was a man whose entire life had been turned upside down by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As such, weakness was no longer a source of shame. The crucifixion of Jesus redefines the nature of suffering and death. It is now seen as a door that leads to life and victory over sin and death. There is no shame in weakness, for Christ has transformed it upon the cross.
Paul follows a crucified Lord, and in so doing models a vulnerability from which each of us can learn. Weakness, fear, and much trembling could not keep Paul from being with those he loved and was called to serve. “I was with you in weakness,” he says. Is this a sentence you and I can apply to our own lives? I see my weakness, more often than not, as a source of shame that keeps me from communion, or a burden that I don’t want to lay upon others. Yet, we are called to one another, to abide in communion as we truly are, even in our brokenness, knowing that it is through communion with God and his people that we are transformed and, like Christ, our weakness becomes the way that leads to life.
Today, choose to “be with,” even and especially in your weakness.
Prayer
Father, teach us to not be ashamed of our weakness or fears, and help us to press into communion with you and those you’ve given to us, knowing it to be the path of our healing and transformation, through your Spirit at work within us. Amen.
Application
With whom can you be “with in weakness” in this season of life?
Related Reading
Proverbs 28:13; Romans 5:6; 1 John 1:7
Worship Resource
Audrey Assad: Abide With Me
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