The Strength We Need

Philippians 4:10-13

“10But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (NKJV).

Philippians 4:13 is one of my favorite passages in scripture. I have loved this verse since I was young, but the reality is I have come to love and understand this verse much more over the past few years. I used to simply read the verse but never really understood the background of this verse, but once I did, my eyes were opened to the promise of this scripture.

You see, in this passage Paul is closing his letter to the Christians at Philippi; He is making his closing remarks. In the above passage, he is specifically thanking them for their gifts, but he goes on to say that his content in all things, full or hungry, to be in need or to have plenty. He is truly thankful for the gifts but he understands that even without the gifts he would have been ok. Philippians 4:13, flows out of this. It’s as if Paul is answering the question that the believers in Philippi and the believers of today would have asked, “Hey Paul, how can you be content in all things?!” Paul’s answer? “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Every time I read this verse now in light of the entire passage I truly desire the power and conviction that Paul has. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reminds us that we have the Holy Spirit on our side. Paul elsewhere confirms this:

Ephesians 3:20
“ 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,” (NKJV).

As believers, we can learn many things form this passage. Here are truths that I have taken from these verses:

1. It’s all about Jesus!

Clearly, Paul does not say “I can do all things myself” nor does he have an “I can do it myself” mentality, which plagues many of us today (including myself at times). It is Christ who gives us the Power to do the things that we cannot. Undoubtedly, you will encounter things that you cannot do on your own. You will face a giant too large, a mountain to high, a problem too painful for you to handle alone. These are the times that we are painfully aware that we are not really self-sufficient. We like to pretend that we can do all things or that we can fix any problems that come our way, but there are times that problems come in that loom so large over us that we lose any idea of self-sufficiency. Remember, it is all about Jesus. He gives us power and He gives us strength. Paul clearly understood that is was all about Jesus then, just as it is today.

2. Nothing is too big for God!

In this passage, you know what word jumps out at me? That simple,little word all. It seems like a word that doesn’t really matter, but in this passage it matters greatly. Paul didn’t say, “I can do some things…” Would you take a lot of comfort in this verse if he did? I know I wouldn’t because I would wonder and worry which things he would give me the strength to do! The reality is that there is nothing that is too big for God! In the birth story, we are reminded of this. When the Angel was telling Mary that she would conceive a son, even though she was a virgin, we come across a wonderful statement, “For with God nothing will be impossible” Luke 1:37 (NKJV). What a wonderful promise of scripture, but the questions is, Do you believe that? Do you really believe that there is nothing that we face that is too big for God to handle? I believe this to be true because is promised in scripture. I believe there are people that are reading this blog right now who are facing some incredible challenges and difficulties in their life. They are reading this and wondering if there problem is too big for God to handle. They may be struggling with addictions, relationship problems, financial problems, work issues, church issues, health problems but God is bigger than all these problems. Just when you feel like giving up or that you don’t have the strength to go on, Paul gently reminds us that we can do all things through Christ. Because he is bigger than all of our problems, He is faithful to help us through any issue we face. Does this mean that our problems will be magically wiped away? No, he does not promise that we will not face any problems, rather we will be strengthened as we go through them.

3. We can rest in God’s power!

I am convinced that we do not rest enough. I don’t mean physical rest (although some of you need to physically rest more too!) We don’t rest in God enough. We are too busy fixing things, fighting battles, working at different things, perhaps we are doing God’s work, but we are weary. Why? Because we are too busy doing all of this alone! We don't rest in God’s power. In our main text, Paul says that he is content, even in the midst of different trials. He is content because he knows that he will be the given power to handle any situation. When we try to handle all of life’s problems alone, we will surely get burnt out! Let us put down our plows for a minute, let us step back from the battles and rest. Those problems will still be there but we have to remember that we can do all things through him. He alone gives us strength, but there are times in our life that we need to be re-charged. Psalm 46:10 tells us, “ 10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (NKJV) We need to be still and fellowship with God. How can we rest? I believe through prayer, bible study, fellowship, worship; anything that puts our eyes on Christ. Rest; I need it and you need it. This is not a call to laziness, because Paul was anything but lazy! This is simply a call to step back and allow God to be God.

I hope you will rest in God’s power and stop striving on your own power; you will never succeed on your own. He will give you power! Don’t forget that amazing promise that is in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (NKJV). I''ll be honest, this blog post is really for me than anyone else! I too need to be daily reminded of these truths. This blog simply flowed out of my study of these scripture passages and the joy I received from them!

Here is the catch though; you have to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior in order to experience His power. Please see the link “how to be saved” under Resources.

In Christ!

Donald


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