Human frailty and faith are challenges many people face as they grow in their faith. There may have been a time in your life, or even now, when you doubt who Jesus is. The disciples had been with Jesus for three years and had seen many signs, miracles, and wonders, but some still questioned Jesus. Matthew 28:16Then the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted! [1]
We tend to put the disciples on a pedestal, thinking they wouldn’t face struggles like we do, but they did. They were real people just like us, and they were also on a spiritual journey. As people, we have weaknesses, and we continually need the Lord’s assistance to walk along the narrow road of faith.
Dependence on God
We like to think that once we place our faith in Jesus, all struggles to believe would end, but that is not true. As believers, we continually need to rely on the Lord and the work of the Holy Spirit to maintain a strong faith. Romans 10:17So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.[2]
Because of our shared humanity and vulnerabilities, Jesus came, suffered, and rose—not in spite of these, but because of them. It’s through this very fragility that He extends His grace to us and fills us with His Spirit, inspiring us to live as He wishes—fully alive and completely trusting in Him. God often works through our human imperfections, turning our weaknesses into opportunities to showcase His incredible power and glory.
The disciples were not scholars, but ordinary people, such as Matthew the tax collector and James and John, who were fishermen. The world may not have chosen Jesus’s faithful eleven disciples or you, but Jesus did. John 15:16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit. [3]
Frailty and Humility
There is nothing like the struggles of faith that can humble a person, revealing how much we truly need the Lord. After Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas doubted until He showed him the scars in His hands and the wound in His side. Ten days after Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the Lord would send the Holy Spirit. The Lord did this, knowing our weaknesses and our need for Him to live within each believer.
Weakness is a wonderful gift from God because it creates the perfect space for Him to reveal Himself to us. Without experiencing weakness, we might not see the need for God’s help. When we embrace our weaknesses, it naturally humbles us and allows us to boast more confidently in God. This kind of weakness is truly uplifting because God loves the weak, and it’s only through weakness that we can genuinely love and depend on Him. In a beautiful way, weakness becomes a sacred invitation for God’s grace to work within us, filling our hearts with His presence.
To learn more about human frailty and faith, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/discipled-to-make-disciples
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
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