That Verse You Love: Christ strengthens you for what he wants
Read More Looking Up
Read More Upward Glances
If you need a raise at work, don’t worry – you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
If you want a new car, don’t worry – you can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
If you want to play in the NFL, don’t worry! You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength.
If you would rather sprout wings and fly, rather than dealing with traffic, don’t worry. You can do all things through Christ who gives you strength!
We love Philippians 4:13 because it seems to claim we can do anything we want, because Jesus himself will give us supernatural ability to fulfill our heart’s desires.
Except, then we have reality to contend with, and when the way we see reality and the way we understand Scripture don’t match, we have to adjust our understanding of one-or-the-other, or both.
In reality, we don’t have the strength to do everything we want to do.
Maybe that verse you love doesn’t mean what you think it means.
In 2011, the Christian publishing giant Zondervan published a revised edition of the New International Version of the Bible. It caused a lot of controversy, and Bible nerds either loved it or hated it, mostly on the basis of the high-level philosophy adopted by translators.
I, for one, loved it. Not because of the high-level translation philosophy, but because of one word: “this.”
When the NIV 2011 translators considered the acclaimed scripture of Philippians 4:13, they added the word “this.”
It reads: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (emphasis added)
With a single word, they brilliantly solved the interpretive problem with Philippians 4:13, by forcing the reader to consider context.
Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi while he was imprisoned - most likely in Rome - with a few goals.
He wanted to affirm their fellowship in Christ, strengthen the church and express gratitude for a gift they had sent him.
Most importantly, he wanted to ensure that when he received the gift, they understood the gift was really to God as their mutual patron and benefactor, and not to Paul as the Philippian church’s client.
Paul wanted to remain radically committed and loyal to Jesus Christ, and not to any one local church. He wanted to ensure the gift he received did not obligate him to the Philippians.
He therefore closes his short letter by assuring the church in Philippi that though he appreciated their aid, he did not need it because, he said, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation.” (Philippians 4:12) Paul knew how to be content whether he had plenty, or nothing.
He knew how to love the Lord and what he was doing in-and-through Paul, whether the circumstances were good or painful. He could serve the Lord no matter what, and he could “do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:13)
He claimed to be able to do whatever Jesus wanted, because of the strength Jesus gave. He could endure shipwreck because Jesus wanted it. He could suffer hunger because Jesus wanted it. He could walk up to the chopping block, look at the swordsman with the love of Christ in his eyes, and surrender his life because Jesus wanted it.
Jesus may not want you to get a raise.
Jesus may want you to keep driving that old clunker to keep you humble, he may have better plans for you than being in the NFL, and your body doesn’t have wings because you weren’t made in the image of seraphim, but in the image of God himself.
When you consider what you will do with your life, you can count on the strength of Jesus only for those things he desires. And when you point your life toward what Jesus wants, you can only count on the strength he gives to do it.
Philippians 4:13, then, only applies to those who are following Jesus with their whole lives, and depend on him to accomplish his will in their lives. If you want to lay hold of the promise Christ’s strength, then adopt the mission of Christ. Take up your cross daily and follow him.