I can. Can you?

"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13, NIV)

You've heard that before, haven't you? One of the most popular verses in all of scripture. Athletes love it. Self-help authors eat this passage up. "You have power!" they say. "You can do anything you set your mind to!" 

Sometimes I wonder if this verse is also one of the most abused passages in all of scripture. It's tells me I can be self-sufficient, but still has a touch of Jesus so it makes me feel spiritual...but are we reading it correctly? I wonder what Paul (the guy who wrote it) would think of our interpretations?

Here are a couple of verses leading up to the passage:

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:11-13, NIV)

Paul, once a leader in the Jewish faith, followed Jesus as the promised Messiah and suddenly he faced outrage from his peers, mistrust from Christians (after all, could he just be faking so he can be a mole for the Jewish leaders?), beatings, he was shipwrecked, rejected...yet he says "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." 

Oh yeah...one more thing: Paul wrote this while imprisoned for his faith. He found contentment while in prison for being obedient to Christ!

What was the secret? "I can do all things through him [Christ] who gives me strength." For me, that gives this passage in a little different perspective. I can use this verse as a motivator for running a 5K or losing 50 pounds. But...whoa...hungry? Who said anything about being hungry? In want? In need? Alone? Jobless? Depressed? Struggling in my marriage? Family falling apart? Car broken down? Ridiculed for my faith? Can I really be content in that? 

Contentment is not happiness. Contentment is finding peace and comfort in all circumstances because you know you're not in this alone. You have the power of Christ in you. With Him, you can rest assured He's on your side.  Christ is for you, rooting for you, cheering for you. 

Contentment is a learning process. "I have learned to be content..." I have to learn to draw strength from Christ each and every day, even the good ones. I have to lean into him to find contentment. That takes practice; daily reminding myself that the power of Christ lives in me and, because of that, I can do all things. It is true, regardless of how you feel. 

Feeling alone? Christ is in you! Christ is for you!
Feeling like a failure? Christ is in you! Christ is for you!
Feeling _________? Christ is in you! Christ is for you!

What you feel and what is true often stand in opposition to one another. Stop allowing your feelings determine your life and lean into the truth of God's word. If you are a Christian, Christ is in you! Christ is for you! Learn that, and we can all say along with Paul, "I can do all things through him who gives me strength."