Where does our strength come from?
Philippians 4:13 – “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me.”
Do you remember the “Got Milk?” commercials? It was usually some famous athlete with a milk mustache, and the implication was that if you drank milk you could have strong bones, run fast, and be healthy like them. Have you seen shows that begin with the message “Made Possible By” and then the sponsors are named?
What if we looked at Christians like this? Where does our power, witness, testimony, and strength come from? Who are we? I think Philippians 4:13 does a good job of answering that question.
Unfortunately, most Christians misuse this verse, and tattoo it on themselves thinking more of how “I can do all things” instead of where the power comes from and who made it possible. Another misuse is to only think of what they can do for themselves with this strength, instead of the powerful witness this is meant for the Kingdom of God and the power of Christ.
If we want to understand Philippians 4:13 deeply we must give credit where credit is due. We are infused with strength from within originating from Jesus Christ. There is no other source from which to get the strength to do the amazing feats Paul is talking about. Because of Christ strengthening us we can; be content in any circumstance, bear any trial, do anything we are called to, resist any temptation from within and without, and meet any adversity with hope, faith, and love. There are innumerable other blessings, and other unbelievable deeds that we are capable of only because of strength supplied by Christ. If we will truly try to live this verse out people will ask us why we are the way we are, and then we will be able to tell them about our Savior unashamedly and unreservedly.
Our country and many of our churches have forgotten who Jesus is and who we are supposed to be, because we are not living this verse out. We look too much like the world in thought, in feelings, in responses and reactions to situations and circumstances, and there is no light shining in the darkness. Christians, this must change. Do you want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”? We will not hear those words if we never follow, never testify, never grow into maturity, or just do nothing. Do you think God hands out participation trophies for doing nothing?
Let us answer the question of who we are in Christ. We are those who build a boat years before it rains. We are those who set out on a journey, not knowing where we are going, and end up one day in the Promised land. We stand up to giants when no one else will. We do not bow down when others do. We get thrown in a furnace and get to take a walk with our Savior in the flames. We walk by faith and not by sight, because we know what is unseen. We do not fear when the rains come down and the floods come up, because we are firmly established on the rock of ages. We are those who know every word of scripture is true and will come true. We are those who do not compromise our spiritual disciplines even if it means we are lunch for lions. We are those whom King and Country describe in their song, “Fix my eyes”. “We love like we are not scared, give when it’s not fair, live life for another, take time for a brother, fight for the weak, speak out for freedom, find faith in the battle, and stand tall and above it all. How? By fixing our eyes on Jesus. Sounds like the focal verse of this column.
That is supposed to be who we are. Unfortunately, there can also be innumerable other reasons why we are not this way. If only we would believe there is one strong enough to banish every foe, temptation, adversity, feeling, thought, or circumstance we will face before we are with him forever. Our enemy loves to use pain, shame, regret, doubt, and fear to short circuit our power as well. If we would just realize self must die, and Christ must rise. No more self-esteem, sufficiency, or so many other self-absorbed issues. Christ-sufficiency must be realized, grown, matured, and depended on.
Lastly, an illustration from the fair. My son Benaiah, who at the time was three years old, got to go mutton-busting. If you do not know what that is, it is where young kids get a taste of the rodeo. They lay down on the back of a sheep, hold on as tight as they can, the gate is opened, the sheep runs fast, and they fall off when they cannot hold on any longer. Benaiah and I practiced for days before the event, and he got very good at holding onto me while “daddy sheep” ran and bucked until he fell off. The big day came, he got on the sheep, and he did not make it very far until he fell off. We were all so proud.
That night tucking him into bed I told him how proud I was of him, and how brave he was to ride the sheep. His body language immediately changed, and tears came into his eyes. He whispered, “But I fell.” I was shocked and perplexed. I tried to keep encouraging him, but it only seemed to make it worse. I scooped him up in my arms and got him to look in my eyes. I told him, “Buddy, you were always going to fall, what’s important is that you did it.”
Most Christians never take that first step, because they fear “falling”, which in essence is just failure. Instead of focusing on our shortcomings or any negatives, real or imagined, try fixating on Jesus, and find out that your strength comes from Him.
Cody Biby
