I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
Although he was incarcerated in a Roman prison when writing the epistle to the Philippians, Paul demonstrated the joy of the Lord was his strength, no matter what difficult circumstances he had to face. Whether rich or poor, a free man or in prison, Paul had learned the sufficiency that only comes through Christ. He had discovered that true contentment is only gained from abiding in Him. Like King David, this apostle was encompassed about by many enemies and had to experience some severe hardships, and yet he learned the secret of total dependence upon the Lord and had come to appreciate that the grace of the Lord Jesus is sufficient for every eventuality. He may have been incarcerated in a prison in Rome, but Paul was able to write in his epistle: “I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me His strength.” Despite being destitute, Paul was not discouraged, because He had discovered his sufficient strength was in Christ. He understood that he could live a triumphant Christian life, no matter what troubles assailed him; not because of his own human strength or charismatic character, but through the indwelling Spirit of Christ Who provides the strength and wisdom we need in every situation in life. Paul had some amazing credentials to fall back on. If anyone had a mind to put confidence in the flesh, Paul was the man. He was circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin. Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews! Before salvation he could boast that as to the Law, he was a Pharisee; as to zeal, he was a persecutor of the Church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, he was blameless. But…he was a man who learned to put no confidence in his own flesh but to put ALL his confidence in Christ and Christ alone. Jesus had warned us that without Him, we can do nothing, and once Paul understood the deeper meaning of this, he boasted in his own weaknesses while rejoicing that through Christ he could do all things. Paul recognized that when we are positioned in Christ, abiding in Him, and remaining in fellowship with the Father, we are equipped for every eventuality of life; for when we are weak in ourselves we receive strength from the Lord and are empowered by His Spirit. Every common task to which we place our shoulder and each Christian duty to which we are called, can only be successfully discharged as we rely on the Lord Jesus Christ for guidance and strength. We are to be strengthened in the ‘inner’ man through the power of the indwelling Spirit of God. This is not a one-time strengthening, but a moment by moment reliance upon Him, until we are increasingly able to act upon His guidance, as we learn to listen to His voice saying: “This is the way, walk in it.” How do we respond when faced with challenges and hardships in our lives? Winning is fun, losing…not so much. Can we find victory in hardship? In the true context of this verse, it is discovered that our contentment is not directly related to our circumstances. Circumstances are ever changing, whereas God never changes. Find peace in your circumstances by resting on the hope of God. This verse isn’t saying that we can do “all” things. We will never fly naturally like a bird. However, we can have victory over any circumstance if we rely on God’s strength to help us. It is not our strength, but His. We don’t do the miraculous things we do, but Christ does those miraculous things through us. We can have victory over all circumstances if we rely on God who gives us our strength.
Spiritual Steve 