I Can Do "All" Things
- Strength For The Work Of The Gospel
Written by Eileen R. Jacobs
"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13
This summer, our little boy started looking more like a man. To a mother's surprise, little bulges had begun to appear on his arms that actually felt and looked something like budding muscles. He'd curl up his arm like a pro wrestler and say, "Check out my muscles, Mom!" "Yah, you're real strong Mister," I'd say. Since his father carries around heavy sound gear all summer, naturally my son thought himself strong enough to carry everything that dad can carry now that he has these muscles. Though he learned that he actually was unable to carry all of the heavy gear, he was a great deal more help than he has ever been before.
This "kids growing up too fast" experience we had this summer got me thinking about how we mask our own strength and self effort by claiming to have Christ's strength. We load up our schedules and activities with all the things we want to accomplish, or the goals we set for ourselves. Later, we find that we are overwhelmed by our own activities and the stress we have placed on ourselves. People greet us in the marketplace and ask us how life is going and we say, "busy!" We rattle off the multitudes of activities we are neck-deep in and then we claim Philippians 4:13, but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. "Just look at my muscles!" we say, in essence. "See, I can do anything I want or need to do because I have Christ." Really, what we are doing is life in our own strength and when life gets too hard, we ask for Christ to help us get done everything we've busied ourselves with. Though I have used Philippians 4:13 in this way many times and have given many "get well" and encouragement cards to others touting the same scripture, it occurred to my spirit one day, that we may have missed the whole point of that awesome truth. We have commercialized this verse and have abused it, but we fail to truly understand it as the Holy Spirit intended. As with every scripture, especially the popular ones, it is to our advantage to investigate the context where it is found. We should always be asking the Lord what He meant by what He said. We may be surprised to discover the true intended meaning may be altogether different from popular interpretation. If you believe the Holy Scripture is the inspired Word of God, then you should know that even in the letters penned by the Apostle Paul, it is the Lord who is speaking to us. It should always be our desire to understand what the Lord meant by what He said, and why He includes every inspired detail that He does in His Word. Let's take a look at that verse again! The Epistle or letter to the Philippians was written by Paul, as you know, with the help of his young disciple Timothy. Paul is writing from prison as he has been arrested for preaching the Gospel. It is important that we keep this in mind as we consider the gravity of what he is saying and what the Holy Spirit expects us to understand from this passage and ultimately be encouraged with. This letter was sent mainly to thank the Philippian church for a gift they sent to him while he was in prison, and to encourage them in continuing the spread of the Gospel. Paul is excited about this church and proud of them because they shared in preaching the Gospel with him (verse 1:5). This is the same letter where we find these very popular words of Paul that are also a bit over commercialized:
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1:6
The context of this verse tells us that the "good work" that Jesus will perfect is the sharing of the Gospel. This is Paul's greatest concern in this Epistle and all of his other letters: the furtherance of the Gospel of God's grace in Christ Jesus, because it is the only thing that will save and transform lives. It's also important to note that what Christ starts in and through us, "He" will do the perfecting of it. What a comfort to know that we do not have to strive, but rest in the fact that Christ does the work. Paul comforts his friends in his circumstances reporting that his imprisonment is actually the cause of greater progress for the Gospel. What a testimony! I doubt most of us would look at our difficult circumstances, especially if we had been slammed behind bars for simply sharing our faith, and be able to look past those circumstances to see how God may use our disconcerting obstacles to further His Gospel. Most of us just want quick deliverance so we can return to comfort and the convenient pleasures of life. Paul has been through greater tribulations than this, however, by the time this was written. (see 2 Cor. 11:23-28) His experiences in life had taught him to completely depend on God for everything as he remained faithful to his life purpose, which was to preach the Gospel of Christ. This was God's will being accomplished through the strength of Christ poured into Paul for whatever he needed in his pursuit to spread the Gospel. It was not Paul trying to motivate himself on Christ's strength.
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13
What were the "all things" that Paul is referring to? The verse preceding tells us.
“I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.” - Philippians 4:12
According to verse 11 of the same chapter, we discover that Paul had learned to be content in whatever circumstances he found himself in as he continued to live God's purpose for him on this earth. If he had food, he was content. If he had to go hungry for a time, his strength for living came from within. Paul had learned a secret from God. This secret came in the midst of trials and persecutions, which is where God often meets us and shows us His secrets. It is the time most often when we finally cry out to God because we are helpless to help ourselves. Paul learned that his weaknesses were an opportunity for Christ's miracle working power to manifest in him. He could claim:
“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.” - 2 Corinthians 12:10
When it came to his mission in Christ, Paul could be content with what most of us would rather crawl in a hole to get away from. What was his secret? The Lord had given him a most incredible promise:
“And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9
The secret was grace! This grace was Christ dwelling in him, and His miracle working power sustaining him. Paul learned that Christ was his sufficiency. His unity with Christ was his great asset, no matter what the circumstances were. Now we can better understand the context of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” It is actually in reference to Paul remaining content in his circumstances as he ministered the Gospel and fulfilled his life mission, even if it meant that he had to go hungry because none of the other churches were helping to meet his physical needs. (Philippians 4:15-16) Let us remember also that it is from prison that Paul ministers these words of encouragement. As we consider these words, as well as his other exhortations in Philippians 4 such as, “rejoice in the Lord always,” “be anxious for nothing,” “let your mind dwell on what is true, honorable, right...”, we can be certain that whatever circumstances we face as we serve the living God with our lives, the strength of Christ will be available inside us for whatever need we have. The Lord's strength is always available in abundance when it involves His will, His purposes, and His plans. Servant and child of God, you just need to draw out Christ’s strength that you already have within you by faith. So, if you are a parent or a grandparent, you will have Christ's strength to minister to those in your care and to parent those children with the grace of God. If you are called to love an un-loveable co-worker, you will have the grace and the strength for that task to the glory of Christ Jesus. If you have unsaved family members who mock at your faith and treat you with contempt, you will be strengthened to love them and be faithful to your testimony. If you are called to minister the Gospel locally or around the world, the strength of Christ will be your extreme energy source, and you will be able to be well content with “...weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christ's sake.” Whatever needs you have, the Lord wants to meet them. His power is perfected in our weakness. He will strengthen you from the inside for your ministry work for Christ’s sake, or He will send a gift to you by His grace through some one whom He has graced to give – just like the Philippian church sent Paul more than one grace gift for his needs. Glory to God!
When we are through helping ourselves and living life for our own purposes, His strength is activated in abundance to meet our needs, in those good works He has designed for us to do, in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. If God has called you to a task, He will provide all the strength you need to remain faithful to it. He will provide all the provisions you need to complete your task. And as you learn to depend on Him, He will also supply all of your other earthly and ministry needs along the way. Now that, dear friends, is GRACE!
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20
written by
Eileen R. Jacobs (January 2010)
Copyright © 2010 Eileen Jacobs Ministries. All rights reserved.
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