The Ministry of the Thorn

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We're going to leave a couple of links in the description so you can do just that. Because we love you so much. We love you so good. Today's verse of the day comes from Matthew 5 verse 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. They shall be filled.

Filled. Sorry, my accent came out there. They shall be field.

They'll be field tough. It's one of the things that we often forsake in our Christian lives. I'm sort of a big boy. I like to eat as much as the next guy. And it's funny because when I'm hungry, I can't think of anything else. It's like the Snickers, the you're not you when you're hungry.

It's not like crankiness. It's just like that's what I'm fixated on. And I'm not going to think about anything else. I'm not going to talk about anything else until I eat. I wish I was like that with the Word of God. I wish I had that sort of hunger, that sort of passion where it's like, hey, I have not done my devotions today.

Seriously, don't talk to me. Literally, just let me get that done. But it's not. It's expendable to a lot of us. Right. I mean, we view it as exactly that.

Expendable is something that's kind of low on the priority list. If we get to it, great. If we don't, you know, whatever. There's always tomorrow.

Imagine if we treated meals like that. Yeah, if I eat great. If not, you know, whatever.

Yeah. This promise, bless those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. God will give to those who desire Him, who desire relationship with Him. God will lead them into a deeper walk with Him and then use them as an inspiration to other people. You know, a lot of people are like, man, how do y'all always find the perfect verse for what I'm going through? Well, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

It's not actually us. These verses come to our phone every single day via the Date the Word app. They are a partial sponsor of this show, so make sure you head on over to the App Store. It's absolutely free on iTunes, iTunes, on iPhone and Android. All these I's going on.

On iPhone and Android, it's absolutely free. Go ahead and download the Date the Word app right now. Every single day connects today's date to God's word with the hope of making it more memorable for you.

Today's segment, as we get started, is one of our favorites. It is all the small things. Look at it. Look how tiny it is. All the small things. This is a show about David's brain. It's called All the Small Things.

That was targeted. So here's one of the things. All the Small Things is a segment we do here on the show where we just talk about some of the things that God has given us to enjoy in this life.

Just some of those little small, fleeting passing words. Blueberry Coffee Creamer, Great Value Blueberry Coffee Creamer is back. Yes. So, Food Lion, Great Value.

I don't know why, by the way. That's Walmart. Great Value is Walmart. Do they sell it in Food Lion? No, it's a Walmart thing. What is the Food Lion brand? Just Food Lion?

It's Food Lion. I really thought Great Value was Food Lion. Great Value is Walmart. Great Value is Walmart. Whatever.

I'll take the L on that one. So, they sell Blueberry Cobbler Coffee Creamer, which I'm almost positive that you can buy at Food Lion somehow, but maybe I'm wrong on that. Anyway, it's back. It's a seasonal thing, or it's a limited-time thing. I don't know.

But they don't sell it all the time. And I am here for it. I remember the first time that you came in with Blueberry Cobbler Coffee Creamer. I was like, what in the world? Are you talking about Blueberry in my coffee? What?

Yeah! And then I tried it, and y'all, it's good. Life hoards the stuff. When you see it in Walmart, you just start piling it up. I buy it in Threes.

It's good. And the thing is, I was starting to get away from flavored creamers. I was even, stay with me on this, I was even considering switching over to Hazelnut, some of the boring coffee creamers.

What? I'm trying to get healthier. Dr. Shaw has a bunch of sugar-free Hazelnut in the fridge. Oh my word.

And I've been trying to just kind of get healthier. There's so much flak as I have received for Hazelnut Coffee Creamer, and now you're joining the camp. I think you were too young. For Hazelnut? Why? Yeah, that's stuff older people drink in their coffee. No, it's not. They love Hazelnut.

Here's what I'm saying. I have been flirting with the idea of trying the sugar-free Hazelnut, just to try to slim down a little bit. Sure. But when I saw Blueberry Coffee Creamer was back in the Walmart fridge, forget that.

I'm done. I'll drink it right out the bottle. It tastes like the best of both worlds. You can imagine a cup of coffee and eating a slice of Blueberry Cobbler, maybe warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Imagine all of that in a sip of coffee. It really is great. It's just something that the Lord has given me to enjoy.

And enjoy it, I shall. And shout out to Walmart for having a flavor like that. People sleep at great value, man. Oh, you got the little great value. You got the little cheap stuff. Hey man, some of that stuff is delish. Some of that stuff is better than the name brand.

I'll just say it right now. Yeah. I've never had name brand. What are some of the coffee creamers? Coffee Mate, International Delight. Yeah, International Delight. I've never seen them with Blueberry Cobbler.

That's exactly right. They might have it, but I've never seen it. Certainly not at a Walmart for $3 for that gigantic thing of Coffee Creamer.

Forget it. Write in and let us know your favorite flavor of Coffee Creamer. What is your go-to flavor for your morning cup of coffee? And why is it Blueberry Cobbler?

And why is it Blueberry Cobbler? 2-5-2-5-8-2-5-0-2-8 or you can visit us online at ClearViewTodayShow.com. Stay tuned.

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Amen. Let's hop back into the show. Welcome back to Clear View Today with Dr. Abbadon Shaw, the daily show that engages mind and heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. You can visit us online at ClearViewTodayShow.com.

If you have any questions or suggestions for new topics, send us a text at 252-582-5028. That's right. We are here once again, live in the Clear View Today studio with Dr. Abbadon Shaw, who is a PhD in New Testament textual criticism, professor at Carolina University, author, full-time pastor, and the host of Today Show. You guys know we get beef with people who think that I shouldn't say that we're live if it's a pre-recorded show.

Really? We're here. Like, we're here live. We may not be broadcasting live, but we're live in the Clear View Today studio. Not live at the time of your listening, live at the time of recording.

How about that? We're all caveat. We're all in separate rooms.

It's different camera angles. Just pretend that we're all somewhere else. Our goal is to have a live, live show, correct? Where people can call in. Yeah, that's right. But it's certain things we've got to get in place for that to happen.

We've got to screen people calling in with silly stuff like that. That's not what I meant. I meant more like equipment things. It's a different game altogether. Gentlemen, good news. We talked about this on the intro, but the Blueberry Creamer, it is back in stores. Thank goodness. It is back in stores.

I can't stand when they have something good and they're like, this is a limited edition. It kind of turned into a grapevine in and of itself, but Dr. Shaw, have you tried the Blueberry Creamer? How do I break this to you?

I don't use creamers anymore. It's OK. We're going to make it through. I'll be all right. But it's a great feeling when your doctor tells you, hey, your A1C is awesome.

Worth the lack of humor. For those of you who understand A1C, it's your number, your sugar level. It's not a basketball tournament. That's ACC.

No, this is A1C. But I've cut back on those things. And it's also cut back on how much coffee I used to drink. I still drink coffee. At least three cups ends up being. But when I was putting all the creamers in there, it was like, this is my sixth cup of the day. It gets up there. Because I love the taste.

Yeah, true. So you switched over to tea for good? No, for coffee. Coffee and tea. Yesterday you drank tea. Black coffee? Really? That's what I'm drinking right now.

That's what I meant. There's no creamer. So you moved away from the sugar-free as well? Yes. It's gone. Gone? Yeah.

It's just better. Just the black coffee. Insane. That's what you drink, right? You drink black coffee.

I do. I drink creamer every now and then. But I like black coffee too. I'm not quite ready to give up the fun creamers. Especially now that Blueberry Cobbler is back in stores. Blueberry Cobbler does have a special place in my heart. It's so good.

In solidarity, I will say just one a day. Yesterday we went to the mall. Nicole and I went to the mall.

This is South Point. I was like, oh, I need to get some coffee because I'm going to drive on the way back. Nicole's going to fall asleep.

That's pretty much how it goes. We had dinner. She's asleep. I drive. Going there, she drives. I'm wide awake talking to her.

Coming back, she's out. So I'm like, I've got to have some coffee. So I went up to this place. It's called Milk Lab.

Have you had that? Milk Lab? It's a little kiosk.

Downstairs at South Point. So I'm like, hey, do you have coffee? No, sir. This is just tea.

So wait, hold on. It's called Milk Lab. But no coffee. But they do have tea.

Just tea. And so I'm like, oh, okay. So Nicole's like, yeah.

And she's like, there's coffee down over there. I was like, well, I'm not going to walk all the way there. I was like, okay.

Let me have the Ceylon Sri Lanka. So I'm like, okay, that's close enough to India. So I can have some tea like that. And so I got the tea, but it had milk and everything in it. Oh, wow. I was about to ask where the milk lab came from, but there it is.

So that was something I didn't know. I know you drink tea with milk, because I didn't grow up drinking tea. If you grew up in the South and you drink tea, it's a very different tea.

That's like sugar syrup. Like sweet tea. Growing up, we had tea time. At home, first thing in the morning, there's tea. By 10 o'clock, there's tea. After lunch, there's tea. Three o'clock, there's tea. Sometimes even at five, six o'clock in the evening, there's tea. And it's a time of the day that you stop and you drink. Whenever you go somewhere, they'll be like, you want some tea?

I'm like, yeah, sure. The first time I ever had actual tea like this is when we were doing the album. We were in Kannapolis recording the album, and I was with Dr. Shah.

And I was like, okay, I'll try. It was the throat coat. Oh, that tea. It was that throat coat tea. And I asked him, I said, did you ever drink tea?

And he was like, all the time. But it was milk and sugar and all that. But the tea that David makes is different.

It doesn't have milk and sugar and all that stuff. It's just the balance. Yeah, just the tea. I like them. Yeah. You know, would you say that, and I'm trying to, you've got to forgive me, Ryan. I'm trying to channel your segue. I feel the pressure right now. I was excited to see how you were going to do this. I feel the pressure. Would you say that all this stuff with your A1C was a thorn? That somehow, in his wisdom, God was able to work together for good. It's not that it's gone away.

It's just that now it's, he's giving you the gray steam. Sure. Before I answer this question, I'm talking to our audience. These guys come up with great transitions.

I end up telling my stories, and it completely throws them off their game. I take on to another story, they're like, well, now what do we do with that? There's a transition.

It's good practice. It's a great story. Transition on the fly.

The transition's in the run sheet, but it's like, I can make this work. Here it is. Because they didn't expect the milk lab story. No, it's all good. You don't like the milk lab story? Yes. Yes. Of course you do.

I liked it. I'm not looking at you, David. I'm looking at the camera. David's raised his hand. Not you. Viewers at home. Viewers at home. What'd you say, Dave?

He actually raised his hand. I was going to try to say, maybe the fact that you couldn't get coffee was your thorn, but the tea was the grace that was fishing for you. There you go. There you go. Sure. It'll work. Whatever. It'll work. Whatever just gets the show rolling. Anyway, so we're talking about where Paul writes about the thorn in his flesh today. Make sure you cut that out later, Dave. We've got to hard shift into the next year. Cut yourself out. We're continuing the conversation we've had over the course of last week's episode.

Nicole was here. We talked about suffering in our lives. Well, suffering doesn't just stop with how we navigate through it. There's a truth to be learned about suffering itself. In light of that, Dr. Shaul, what is the encouragement for our listeners and viewers today? If you're praying for that suffering to be taken out of your life, I'm not here to tell you don't pray. Of course, do pray. We want things to heal.

We want things to get better. But at the same time, ask God to show you his greater purpose, or at least give you the assurance that there's a bigger thing happening, so don't hate the thorn. It's the ministry of the thorn. Keep that in mind.

Keep that in mind. God is doing something bigger. He's making sense why this sickness or why this struggle, why this thing that makes absolutely no sense in the universe, don't despise the thorn. It's the ministry of the thorn.

I need to get onto the patent office website and trademark Ministry of the Thorn. Ministry of the Thorn. That might be one of the coolest things I have ever heard. That's a great name for a band.

Ministry of the Thorn. Let's make it that well. That's a little early 2000s for me, but let's at least make it the title of the episode.

You act like early 2000s was not a good era of music. I love the way you put that, though, Dr. Shah, because there's a beauty to it in how we understand suffering, how we understand the pain in our life. God is a God of healing, so pray for healing. Pray for comfort. Pray to get through that struggle, but don't miss the fact that there's a purpose in the pain.

Oh, absolutely. Now, when people are going through pain, suffering, sometimes even trauma in their lives, so basically you're looking for two things, and in some ways the Word of God does both for us. It shows us fellow sufferers who have been through it, and then it also connects us to the Savior's purpose. And I think one of the most ironic things, and I'm seeing this now the older and older I get, that you really just listen to people, because there were times when I was young, I was in my 20s, and people would be telling me about the problems of life that they were going through, and I would just be nodding and be like, yeah, okay, cool, not thinking that one day I'm probably going to go through something like this. This person's giving me some wisdom right now. At my stage right now, there are people who tell me things, and I'm like, uh-huh.

It's not like I'm looking down at them. It doesn't have the place somewhere in my head where it's finding its proper application. So many times, unless that person is just disgruntled and coming from a bad place in their life, then I'm not listening. At that point I know you need help.

But if that person is a mature, godly Christian, I'm not saying perfect person, there is no such thing, but a mature, godly person, then I go, okay, I hear you, I'm not connecting with you, but I'm going to tuck it away, because one day I'm going to need that. And there are many, many things that I have reached back and found. Even the sermon series on pain and suffering and trauma, that I went back and I found that file. Sometimes that file was 30 years old. Sometimes that file was 15 years old. Sometimes that file was five years old, but I found it.

And I said, yep, there it is. Now it makes sense. And it's so useful to have those files, because like I said, when you're young, you think, when I suffer, I'll pray and God will take it away. But what happens when God says, like, no, I'm not going to take that thorn from you? You need it.

The thorn is there for a reason. And it does not mean that everything that I put away on that file is accurate, because sometimes I have to even edit those files and go, okay, that person said that to me, but I don't think they completely processed that situation, didn't have all the information, didn't have the proper understanding on how to navigate through their problems, so then I will edit it and then put it away or use it either way. So it helps to listen. It helps to be open to what people are saying, because you never know when you'll need it. There are times when, in the midst of going through something, I have been given some advice. I've been given some wisdom of someone who has gone through it before me or gone through a similar situation, and there's that temptation of, you don't understand. You're not going through what I'm going through.

You might have been through your version of it, but you don't know what I'm dealing with. And then on the other side of it, I look back and I've been like, wow, that was really helpful if I had only latched onto it in the moment, if I had only listened when that advice was being given instead of just disregarding it. At least tuck it away. Even if it's not immediately applicable, tuck it away. That's just like a sermon. When you go to church, you're listening to a message, and it doesn't directly apply to your life. Don't be like, I don't care about this.

I don't want to know this. No, not every message is immediately applicable. Can you imagine that, going every Sunday and be like, oh, yeah, this is right now?

True. Some things are like, okay, all right, taking notes. One day I'll need it. Do you feel like the thorns often come when we feel like we're highest? When you feel like things are going well, it's like, okay, I can finally see a way out of this. I'm moving forward.

Things are looking good. And then that's when the thorn... It doesn't feel like the thorn that really helps is ever one of those random ones that just piles on. You know what I mean? It's always like it comes at what we would consider the most inopportune moment, but in God's timing is the right moment. It's the moment where you think you got this. It's the moment where you start fantasizing of just being on the top of the world. It's that exhilaration that comes from success. It's that what you see on a screen or on a video or on somebody's perspective on a camera of seeing someone just living it up. And living it up does not mean they have to have a certain walk or whatever, and maybe they do, but you can just sense it. That person's got it. That person is really, man, they are at the top of the world.

They are the best, and they know it. It's in those moments that the thorn comes, and it completely dishevels us. It's frustrating. It causes us to question ourselves, God, people, reality, and it's very frustrating. But if you understand the conversation today, of course, we're referring to 2 Corinthians 12, right? Paul's thorn in the flesh. But if you understand the purpose for the thorn, it's not just the enemy. Of course, the enemy is the messenger of Satan who was that thorn in Paul's life, but God is the one who's having the conversation with Paul, not Satan. Satan is doing his dirty deed, but behind the scenes, it is God who has him on a leash.

Good point. And he's saying, I'm going to let him do that. And what many times happens is people get upset or they get frustrated, not realizing that God is doing it for their best. God is doing this because he has designed you this way. He has designed you to get glory through you. And I know sometimes people even question that as like, what a selfish God. What a selfish deity that he made me so I will make him look good.

No, don't think like that. God doesn't need you for anything, anything. But he chose to do this because love wants to be shared. Love wants to be shared. So the Trinity decided to share love.

When did they decide that? In eternity, which means there was no beginning point. God doesn't have a beginning point. So somewhere the Trinity decided to do this and create human beings.

We are living in space and time. God doesn't. And so here we are and love is shared. But in making us and bringing us the utmost happiness in life, purpose, fulfillment, joy, everything. It only comes when God is God.

That's right. God gets the glory. God is supreme.

God is glorified. It only happens that you exist if that happens. I know human beings are like, well, why don't he just make us and just let us go? You cannot survive that way. You cannot have purpose and meaning and joy. Well, why doesn't God just make us that way?

Right? So you're pretty much saying, why doesn't God make a stone that is so heavy that he cannot lift it? Right, which he can't do.

All of that is illogical. So if he makes you out of his own free will to share his joy and love with you, then you are going to be a creature who is going to bring him glory. Right. That's right. In order to do that, the thorn is needed because we are so prone to live in such a way that we get the glory and we love the glory and we want the glory.

We want everybody to know we have the glory. Well, I think that's even what Paul says, right? Like he says, lest I be exalted above measure. Right, right.

Lest I should be the one exalted. I think he even says it twice. He starts and ends the verse with that. By the abundance of the revelations.

Right, right. And I think about even all the things that Paul got to do, but then all the things he had to go through, like all the troubles that he lists constantly that he would go through. I used to think, man, Paul really wants us to know.

He wants us to know how bad he has them. But then you think about what God was using him for. He completely understood. You know, he wasn't like the reluctant hero. He understood how important he was.

He understood God's purpose for his life. And I think that could go to anyone's head. So he had the wisdom to say, listen, I would 100% let my pride get the better of me if not for this thorn. You know what I mean? The thorn, I mean, thinking about it that way, the thorn becomes a means of protection from us against ourselves, guarding us against our own pride. Yeah, yeah. People often wonder, it's like, what if I keep my pride in check?

What if I go ahead and do that? Would that exempt me from the thorn? And the answer is yes, that could potentially exempt you from the thorn.

But two ways to answer that. Number one, think about the Apostle Paul. As much knowledge as he had, I mean, God spoke through him, right? He is one of the holy men of God who spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, as Peter says.

Yet he needed a thorn. So who are you? Who am I? Secondly, it's impossible.

It's not possible. Human beings, because we're made in the image of God, we are prone to play God. We like to play God.

Wow, I had never thought of that. Yeah, I've never heard it put that way before. Yeah, so God has to put a governor. Governor is like what you put in vehicles, like state puts in their school buses, that you can only go but so fast. It is put in there to keep us in line.

He said, man, I don't know all this stuff. Think about the time when God did not put that governor and what happened. Yeah, true. Satan happened. Yeah.

That's a great point. Satan happened. Where he began to climb higher and higher and higher to the point that he wanted to be God. He wanted to get all the glory. Instead of taking glory to God, he wanted all the glory. And at that point, he had to be brought down.

I mean, he had to be thrown down. He was cast out. And cast out without any possibility for redemption.

True. That's a grace that God has given to us is that even in our proudest moments, we still get to come back. Through Christ.

Through Christ, of course. You said to me one time that most of life is coming back to God. And I knew in the moment, it was fairly recently you said that, but I knew in the moment that was something that would stick with me for life, because we tend to think that straying away is failure. And in a sense, it is. But the privilege of getting through Christ, getting to come back is always there.

Well, we've said that on the show before, too. But failure is real, but failure isn't final. In the gospel, because of what Christ has done for us, failure is not the final word. And just in case there's someone still out there who's saying, but could not God have made somebody, us, could not God have made us in a way that we wouldn't need the thorn, would we just have the right mindset and not need all this God gets the glory kind of mechanism?

Yes, I hear you. I just don't know. I just don't know what that world would look like.

I am willing to submit myself to the world that God has created. At a certain point, it's like you said, I have to lay down my pride and say, He didn't goof. He didn't make a mistake. I will never be able to fathom all the complexities of what it takes. I can't see all possible outcomes. It looks so obvious to me, this sinful small human.

Finite. But if God did it this way, there does come a point where you just have to say, I trust you. So if you're going through trials and if you're going through tribulations and maybe even trauma, keep in mind there's a difference between stress and trauma. We've been stressing that.

Very nice. Pun intended. Just know that sometimes God allows that thorn to come into our lives to keep us humble so that His grace will rest upon us. And so we say with Paul, when I'm weak, then I'm strong. Well, who else could talk to us about stress and trauma than Paul? Maybe we can talk about that a little bit tomorrow. Yeah, let's dig into this a little bit more. I feel like there's more for us to learn from the ministry of the thorn. Write in and let us know if today was helpful for you.

2-5-2-5-8-2-5-0-2-8. Or you can visit us online at ClearViewTodayShow.com. Don't forget, you can partner with us financially on that same website.

Scroll to the bottom, click that donate button, and let us know it's coming from our Clear View Today Show family. John, tomorrow we're tackling more about this ministry of the thorn. We're going to dive deep into 2 Corinthians 12. We've all heard it. We all try to internalize it.

But man, Paul was such a deep character. Make sure you guys are here tomorrow. We love you guys. We'll see you tomorrow on Clear View Today.