The verse can be found on T-shirts, mugs, and plagues. Christian athletes like to paint it on their cheeks or have it printed on their cleats, holding fast to it being a promise for God to empower them to make their 3-point jump shot or score the touchdown to help their team win the game. It has been said just before lifting something heavy or weights in the gym that will require some strength. The words have served as motivation to meet a goal someone has set or to overcome some sort of obstacle or challenge in front of them. And how many people have quoted it just before giving a speech or doing a solo to calm their nerves and anxiety? I am referring to the beloved Philippians 4:13 which states, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” For many of us, this was one of the first verses we ever committed to memory. The only problem is that it doesn’t mean what most people think it does. Hence why I refer to it as one of those “Inigo Montoya passages,” “You keep quoting that verse. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Many
today believe that this verse means that God will give them the power to do
anything they may set their minds to or that they may desire. That they
literally have the power in Christ to do whatever. But is that what Paul
communicates in this verse? Certainly, someone could not go up on the roof of a
tall building and jump off of it convinced that he will be able to fly because
of what Philippians 4:13 says and be able to do such. They would learn fast
that the “all things” doesn’t include flying! (PLEASE DO NOT TRY THAT AT HOME!)
Of course, that would be absurd but is similar to how a number wind up using
this passage.
As always, to discover the real
meaning of the passage and be sure that we are not misquoting or misapplying
it, we need to examine the context of the verse. And when we do, what we find
is that Paul is not talking about any sporting event, lifting weights, or standing
in front of people at all. Those types of things are far from his mind.
Instead, he is addressing the generous offering that the church there in
Philippi had sent to him. He wants them to know that he doesn’t speak from
being in need in rejoicing over receiving it but that he has learned to be
content in whatever circumstances he has found himself in (v. 11). He goes on
to say, “I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live
in abundance; in any and all things I have learned the secret of being filled
and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (v. 12). You
see, his focus is on being content regardless of one’s circumstances. It
doesn’t matter if he is in a place where he doesn’t have enough resources or if
he has too much. He doesn’t see himself as lacking in either one.
What is the secret to such
contentment? That’s where v. 13 comes in. He acknowledges that Jesus is the One
who gives him strength in times of want and in times of plenty. He realizes he
basically has all that he needs in Christ. He is never lacking anything even
when physically he may not have as much. When we keep in mind that he writes
this letter from prison, it really puts things in perspective. He is in a spot
currently where he easily could be discontent and feel that he certainly is
lacking. Instead, he recognizes that he still has Christ and that by far makes
up for anything he may lack physically. C. S. Lewis once wrote, “He who has God
and everything else has no more than he who has God only.” Jesus is enough and
knowing that blessed truth can get us through whatever storm or trial we may
wind up facing or have to walk through.
I actually think that this makes
the verse so much more practical for us. Who of us doesn’t have problems with
contentment at times? When the prices go up for inflation or tariffs and you
have to tighten your budget, choosing not to get as much. You go through that
rough patch in your marriage and it is not all that you had hoped it would be.
The job you had devoted so much of your time to and that provided for the
family shuts its doors or is forced to have to lay you off. You have to walk
through the loss of a spouse or even a child, long before you had ever planned
to. Someone in the family is discovered to have a disability which adds
difficulty not just for them but for you and the entire family. Disaster or
disease strikes taking away your home, stuff, or health. How can you handle
such and keep going? Through applying the meaning of this verse by looking to
Christ and finding your strength in Him. Reminding yourself that no matter what
you may be lacking physically here on this earth that Christ makes up for it.
You still have all that you need in Him. You are not lacking in any way.
So, instead of this being a promise
that you will have what it takes to score to win the game, lift something
heavy, achieve that goal, or give that speech, these are the words the athlete
needs to go to when due to age and all the activity of his life he is no longer
physically able to continue to perform
on the field or court, the weights become too much to lift like you used to,
the hope of achieving that goal is shattered, and the speaking engagement falls
through. Not as a motivation for such but an encouragement to persevere through
it. May God help us to learn the same kind of contentment Paul did and to
continually direct us back to Christ for the strength we need for that
contentment in the midst of whatever circumstances we may be in.
Love
in Christ,
Pastor
Lee
