3 min
Philippians 4:13 Built on the Rock
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- Christianity
As Christians, we rely not on ourselves, but instead on Christ in order for us to face the greatest joys and deepest lows of life (Philippians 4:11-13). Today's verse, "I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me" is often either misunderstood or misapplied. It isn't an expression of confidence in oneself but is instead far more powerful than a simple statement of us having strength through Christ.
I've talked about this before on here, and I'll say it again - God will never give us more than we can handle. Right?
Wrong. We absolutely will face things that are far bigger than we could ever handle on our own. We will face things so massive that only God can handle them. That's why the phrase, "God will never give us more than we can handle" is so dangerous - because it seems true, and is a nice thought, but is untrue because He's so much more powerful and mighty than that.
God will never give us more than He can handle.
Today's verse isn't about us being mighty, but it's about the strength we have through the Lord. Therefore, as believers, what matters is that we are in Jesus, for Jesus alone can strengthen us to resist temptations that uniquely attend whatever situation we may find ourselves in. John MacArthur puts it like this:
"Because believers are in Christ (Galatians 2:20), he infuses them with His strength to sustain them" (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p. 1726).We find peace in life (amid joy, or amid suffering and pain) is not based on our own ability to face what life throws at us. Our peace comes from the fact that we belong to Christ, that He never lets us go, and that He is faithful. It's His through His faithfulness that he gives us the grace to live for Him no matter our circumstances, and that's more powerful than any situation we may find ourselves in.
As you go about your day, think about this: if we depend on our character, or our own will-power in the midst of the storms of life, we will never find lasting peace. Instead, we are to seek Christ in everything we do, and it's when we do this that we can serve Him faithfully. Please don't mistake what I'm saying, as this doesn't mean that our concerns will go away, nor should they; but rather, I'm saying that our concerns don't define our lives. They don't bind our minds and emotions with worry and anxiety (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6-7). Therefore, we're told that we are to find satisfaction in the Lord no matter what life throws at us, good or bad.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
As Christians, we rely not on ourselves, but instead on Christ in order for us to face the greatest joys and deepest lows of life (Philippians 4:11-13). Today's verse, "I can do all things through [Christ] who strengthens me" is often either misunderstood or misapplied. It isn't an expression of confidence in oneself but is instead far more powerful than a simple statement of us having strength through Christ.
I've talked about this before on here, and I'll say it again - God will never give us more than we can handle. Right?
Wrong. We absolutely will face things that are far bigger than we could ever handle on our own. We will face things so massive that only God can handle them. That's why the phrase, "God will never give us more than we can handle" is so dangerous - because it seems true, and is a nice thought, but is untrue because He's so much more powerful and mighty than that.
God will never give us more than He can handle.
Today's verse isn't about us being mighty, but it's about the strength we have through the Lord. Therefore, as believers, what matters is that we are in Jesus, for Jesus alone can strengthen us to resist temptations that uniquely attend whatever situation we may find ourselves in. John MacArthur puts it like this:
"Because believers are in Christ (Galatians 2:20), he infuses them with His strength to sustain them" (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, p. 1726).We find peace in life (amid joy, or amid suffering and pain) is not based on our own ability to face what life throws at us. Our peace comes from the fact that we belong to Christ, that He never lets us go, and that He is faithful. It's His through His faithfulness that he gives us the grace to live for Him no matter our circumstances, and that's more powerful than any situation we may find ourselves in.
As you go about your day, think about this: if we depend on our character, or our own will-power in the midst of the storms of life, we will never find lasting peace. Instead, we are to seek Christ in everything we do, and it's when we do this that we can serve Him faithfully. Please don't mistake what I'm saying, as this doesn't mean that our concerns will go away, nor should they; but rather, I'm saying that our concerns don't define our lives. They don't bind our minds and emotions with worry and anxiety (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6-7). Therefore, we're told that we are to find satisfaction in the Lord no matter what life throws at us, good or bad.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
Podtrac - https://analytics.podtrac.com/privacy-policy-gdrp
3 min