Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Over the last two posts I have been looking at something that, I believe, is the power behind the Christmas celebration. Most Christmas movies focus on the “magic of Christmas” as if Christmas itself was the important thing. There is no magic in Santa, silver bells, winter wonderlands, family or any of the other iconic representations of the season. The power of Christmas is the gift given by God to the world. Anything short of that is good for producing warm feelings but powerless in the face of real-life challenges.
In Ephesians 2 and Romans 8 we found that Paul saw some things that he shared with us in his written letters to the churches he founded. These revelations were not statements of doctrine or theology. They were truths born out of Paul’s struggles as he sought to fulfill the call of God on his life. In Ephesians 2 we find the true gift of Christmas. God had set into motion a process that would result in the restoration of humanity into covenant relationship with God the Father. Romans 8 gives us a very in-depth description of what that produced in his life. In Romans 8 we also find that these truths are applied in the middle of some very difficult things. His statement that in all the challenges he faced he was “more that a conqueror” is powerful. What worked for Paul can and will work for you and me.
Today I want to see some of how Paul became “more than a conqueror.” In today’s verse we see that he says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” We often quote this scripture in light of doing works of ministry. It is true that we can do anything God requires of us through our relationship with Jesus. Nevertheless, that is not the context of this verse. In verse 10 we find that the Philippians had sent him an offering to help him in his ministry. He thanks them but says that he is not speaking from the standpoint of need. As we have learned from Romans and many other scriptures in Paul’s letters, he did have needs. I suspect that this offering came at a time when Paul really needed the support. Yet that was not how Paul saw things.
Because of what God had revealed to him in his life, Paul simply did not think in terms of need. I am sure he had days when he got overwhelmed just like we do. When he wrote to the Philippians he was writing from the “more than a conqueror” perspective. He had needs but he saw God meeting the need even before the result came. Therefore, when the Philippian church sent the offering, he was grateful, but he was not surprised. I expect he was thanking God for provision not sure from where it could come. However, he was not in need because he knew God would do something. The question is, how could he maintain that kind of thinking.
It is important that we understand something about this process. Paul meditated on what God said to him. He was an Old Testament scholar so he could draw on that part of the Bible. He was also in close fellowship with Jesus so God was speaking things to him that would become two thirds of the New Testament. This process builds up our inner man, our spirit, which is the part of us which is born again. The more we build up our spirit, the stronger our relationship with God becomes. This is also how faith is strengthened. What Paul says in Philippians is that he is able to deal with the pressures and stress of life because Christ is strengthening him. He cannot do it on his own. Neither can you.
Often, we feel that we need to “stand on our own two feet” so to speak. We need to be able to handle things. If we cannot handle whatever pressure we face, we feel condemned, useless or worse. The truth is that even the great apostle Paul found that in his own strength he could not deal with everything he experienced in life. In the year 2020 through which we have just lived, we need to know this truth. I cannot on my own deal with everything life throws at me. The wonderful truth that Paul learned was that he did not have to. He did it “through Christ who strengthened” him. That is what we need as well. We have a covenant relationship with God almighty. We are more than conquerors through his love for us and we can overcome any challenge through Christ who strengthens us.
I like to look at definitions. I looked up the word strengthen and found out it means to make us stronger. It carries the idea of reinforcing. In construction, concrete is a very strong building material. Today, in most concrete applications we find something called rebar added to the concrete. These are metal bars or mesh added to the concrete to make it even stronger. The term “rebar” is short for reinforcing bar. Concrete is strong. Reinforced concrete is far stronger. That is the picture behind what Paul is saying in this verse.
It is not that we are necessarily weak. We are, however, much weaker than Christ who is God. I can do all things through Christ who reinforces me. I may be strong in myself or I may believe that I am a weak person. Either way, I can do whatever I need to do when God in Christ reinforces my strength with his. Whatever strength I may have, it cannot compare to his strength. When the two are infused together, nothing is impossible. I can face any trial, pressure, or challenge in life. I can endure while I am in the midst of it and win in the end.
One of the meanings of strength is capacity for exertion or endurance. When a force is brought against us, strength is the capacity to endure whatever power that force may have. I have faced strong challenges in my life. There were many days when I did not think I could resist the pressure. Just like you I have felt overwhelmed and even depressed as some things seemed to go on for a long time. In myself I did not have the strength to resist the force coming against me. As we know, the outward forces are one thing, but the inward stresses are often more difficult. When I turned to the Word of God outwardly and the presence and Spirit of God inwardly, I found a reinforcement that enabled me to overcome both.
Another use of the term reinforcement is military in nature. When a military unit is outgunned and outnumbered, they call in reinforcements. That means additional troops who come to the rescue of the trapped soldiers. Strength not only means to endure pressure against us, but it also means to exert force against whatever may be against us at that time. When we feel overwhelmed, not only will the strength that comes through Christ help us endure but it will enable us to attack as well. I cannot win in life or against our adversary, the devil, in my own strength. It is just not enough. When I call on the strength that comes from God in Christ, that is another thing altogether. Look at a verse in James’ letter.
James 4:7 (NKJV) 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
When my life is submitted to God, I can resist the devil and all of the challenges of life he may bring against me and the Bible tells me he will flee the battlefield which means I will win the day. Although I believe we need to be very aware of the activity of our adversary (1 Peter 5:8-11) I also believe that not everything that happens to us is directly from the devil. We make mistakes and even allow sin to come in that may cause problems to arise. Sometimes things just happen, and we find ourselves facing some problem or pressure. If God will cause the devil to flee, anything that may come from our own mistakes or just the process of life is not a problem. When we draw on the reinforcing power of Christ to strengthen us, we will endure until we win every time.
Next time I will look at some keys to accessing the reinforcing strength of God in Christ. For now, I encourage you to remember these things as you go through your Christmas celebration. When you open the rest of your presents, open the one from Jesus that is marked “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You will find that the most important gift of all.
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