For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
I would love to be able to run the Boston Marathon. I just need to be able to run 26.2 miles in under 3 hours and 50 minutes. My current best time for a marathon is 5:37. Maybe I just need God to give me the strength to run faster. It says it in the Bible that I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Well, maybe I am not interpreting that exactly right.
When you are young, you are told that you can do anything if you put in the effort. That is not necessarily true since some people have “natural” abilities. Or, as in basketball, someone that is taller than 6 feet can dunk a basketball easier than someone that is much shorter. So, what was Peter talking about when he said that he could do everything?
The things he is referring to are what he must do, as the will of God puts in front of him; not a boundless field of possibilities, but the actual path of duty and suffering, chosen not by himself but by God. It does refer to ALL things, not just some of them. God gives us the strength and peace to get through anything and everything. God will not put us in any situation that would require us to do something we would not be able to perform.
We can live without stress knowing He is taking care of us. God will give us the strength to avoid temptations by giving us a way out. We can tolerate poverty, sickness, harassment, persecution of our beliefs, or any other trials of life. We get through these things with the strength of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He never leaves our side, even though we may forget that He is there. I have had my trials of life that included deep bouts of depression. God got me through those situations. Not by my own strength, because I was very weak. He took over for me. I was ready to give up completely, but He never gave up on me. He picked me up and got me walking along side of Him again. I will never take that lightly.
One of the first things we need to realize is that we are not self-sufficient. We cannot get through life and everything it throws at us alone. We need to know our weakness and sin and accept the salvation of God’s free grace in Christ. Next, to find the “strength made perfect in weakness,” and in that to be strong. We need to rely on God. We see the same type of phrase in 1 Timothy 1:12 where it says “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,” God gives us the strength to do His work.
What does God want you to do for Him in your life? How does what you do give Him glory? What trials and tribulations of life are you going through right now that you need strength to get through? These are all questions that lead to the same answer. God gives you the strength to do His will, get through anything this world throws at you, and let’s you live without stress. Praise be to God!
