"I can do all this through him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13
Do you use this verse in Philippians for encouragement? As a Christian, you should. However, the better question is what kind of encouragement are you using it for? In my experience, this verse is used almost like a motivational quote in order to strengthen an individual's drive to overcome the obstacles in life that are in the way of achieving their dreams and aspirations. For example, once upon a time, I was given a message by a popular Christian pastor on this verse. At the time I was trying my hand at being an entrepreneur. Not more than five minutes into the message I stopped listening to it because the pastor was saying that all the dreams for my life would come true if I just claimed the "promise" of this verse. This is a common theme in Christianity; to take verses out of context in order to use them as motivation to achieve worldly success. How often have you heard that "The LORD will make you the head, not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13)"? Everybody says, "Amen" because we all want to be blessed by God. However, they fail to say or emphasize what else the Lord says; "If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands ... (Deuteronomy 28:1)" You will never be the "head" because you will never "fully obey the Lord" nor will you "follow all his commands." Then there is God's promise in Malachi 3:10 to "throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it" if you stop "robbing" God and bring "the whole tithe into the storehouse..." However, people never seem to realize that God was talking to the "descendants of Jacob (Malachi 3:6)" and not to Christians. Besides, Christians can't truly tithe because the Levitical Priesthood no longer exists and your church is not the "storehouse" being spoken of. Therefore, God will never be obligated to reward you and the floodgates of heaven will remain closed. Then there is Jesus telling the lawyer, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27)." Christians just assume they are doing this because Jesus said it. But, are they really? Are people truly loving God with ALL their heart, soul, strength and mind and loving their neighbor as themselves? Again, I ask, how do you measure this? The only way I can think of to measure our efforts is by comparing them to God's standard; the Law. And the only conclusion one can reach is that they are a complete failure; they are not loving God with all of their heart, soul, strength, and mind, much less their neighbor. But, again, what is missed in this passage? What is missed is the question the lawyer asked Jesus. ""Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25)?"" This should give us a clue. You don't receive eternal life through obedience to the Law. Jesus said, "You must be born again (John 3:7)" and the Apostle Paul said, "For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law (Galatians 3:21)."
When Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians he was in a Roman prison! If we read the verses just prior to Philippians 4:13 we read, "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 (Philippians 4:11-12)." Paul is writing the Philippians to remind them that Christ is strengthening him "whatever the circumstances" of his life. Whether in need or having plenty he is content because He has the Lord. This has nothing to do with Jesus strengthening him to achieve his worldly dreams and aspirations. It has everything to do with him resting in his identity in Christ as a forgiven, holy, blameless, righteous, sanctified and justified, child of the living God through his faith in Jesus Christ. It is not about him keeping the commands of God. It is not about his tithing record. It is not even about him loving God or his neighbor. It is about God meeting the deepest needs of his heart for love, acceptance, meaning, and purpose. That is where his strength from the Lord comes from. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul gives a list of all that he had suffered for being a Christian. He writes, "I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." This is not the testimony of a man who is claiming that God has given him the strength to indulge his flesh by achieving his dreams and aspirations. No, this is a man who despite having his world turned upside down is still content with the circumstances of his life because of the strength he was receiving from God through his faith in Jesus Christ. As I write this, Christians are the most persecuted people on the planet! Sadly, there are more brothers and sisters in Christ identifying with Paul's suffering then there are achieving their dreams and aspirations to get from the world all it has to offer. My prayer is that they, and all Christians, are learning the secret of being content whatever the circumstances; that their strength comes from Jesus Christ who has given them everything they need for life, godliness and blessed them with every spiritual blessing in Himself. You can't be content when your eyes are off of Jesus and all you have in Him and on yourself and everything you desire Him to give you from the world.
Showing posts with label Contentment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contentment. Show all posts
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Small Red Part
"So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:31-34
In the classic Christian hymn, Amazing Grace, the last stanza of the hymn goes like this: "When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun." I have always been captivated by the image given when hearing the part that says, "When we've been there ten thousand years..." Ten thousand years? This is inconceivable for the human mind to comprehend. It reminds me of Paul in 1 Corinthians when he said, "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him ...(1 Corinthians 2:9)." Most of us are lucky if we get to our 80's much less 10,000 years of age. The oldest people in the Bible didn't make it to 1,000 years old and that is another age difficult to imagine attaining. Yet, as humans, we spend nearly every waking hour focused on how to get the most out of the life we have here and give little thought to eternity, much less 10,000 years into it. Christian pastor Francis Chan gave an eye-opening teaching example regarding eternity by using a simple rope. He brings the rope out on stage and unfolds it. The rope is probably 20 feet long. On the end of the rope he is holding, he has painted about a palm's width of the rope red. Chan says, "Imagine this rope goes on forever and imagine that this rope is a timeline of your existence. You see this red part? This would represent your time on earth.” He continues, "And what blows me away is that for some of you, all you're consumed with thinking about is this small red part.” He is correct. Most people are only consumed with our "small red part;" our physical existence on this earth from the moment we are born until the day we die. How many people do you know whose sole focus is on how they live their life before death? Concerns about what job to take, who to marry, when to divorce, how much is needed for retirement, their physical health, what vacation to take, what to add to their bucket list, politics, protecting the environment, protecting animals, sports, Hollywood, etc. The list is endless. But, let me ask you one question: Ten thousand years from now, will any of those things (or whatever you add to the list) matter? Do not get me wrong, I understand we all have to live our lives and take care of the issues of life. Plus, God gave us this planet to enjoy and these bodies to live in. However, both are only temporary. One day our bodies will give out and we will, "return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19).” And one day, "The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The sun and moon and stars will burn up. The earth and all that is in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10)." So, again, I ask you; ten thousand years from now, will anything you are focused on now matter?
Jesus told us not to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear. It is probably safe to say we shouldn't worry about where we live, who we marry and all the other things in life. At least not to the point that we are so consumed with them that we neglect eternity. The apostle Paul talked on several occasions about being content. In fact, in one of the most popular passages in the Bible, Philippians 4, Paul said, "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 4:12-13)." Most Christians will focus on verse 13 and being able to "do all this" through Christ. While that is a great promise, what goes unmentioned is verse 12 where Paul says he has "learned the secret of being content." Regardless of his circumstances, he was at peace. It is being at peace, specifically with God, that is the foundation of being content. When you are content, you will display the fruits of the Spirit; specifically, self-control. When you are not consumed by trying to squeeze the most out of this life, you will bear the fruit of self-control because you are not looking for the next thing to do, have or experience. The peace Paul experienced, in my opinion, originated from knowing his identity in Christ. Paul knew that God was meeting the deepest desires of his heart for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning, and purpose. He knew He was a forgiven, child of God, with the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling Him. This meant he was not looking at the world for what he could get from it, but rather, he looked at the world for what he could give to it; the love of God through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Once Paul found the Lord, his whole life changed to a life of doing all He could to proclaim Jesus to the world. Paul was martyred at roughly 60 years of age in the first century. But, Paul is with the Lord right now. He hasn't been there 10,000 years, but he has been there for over 1,900 years. That's a lot more than the 60 years he spent here on earth. The lesson to take from his life and many of the writers of the Bible is that our focus should be on eternity. Life is too short to be worried only about the handful of years we spend on this side of the "dust." Eternity is a long time and we could be thrust into it at any moment without warning. My prayer is that regardless of the circumstances of your life, you pause and take inventory of your spiritual condition. Are you living a life apart from faith in Jesus Christ distracted by all the cares of this world? Are you a Christian who is looking to God solely for what He can give you in this life? It is time to take inventory of your life and get your eyes off yourself and the cares of this world and place them squarely on Jesus Christ. The peace of God and the contentment which comes from it are available to you. Ten thousand years from now, you may regret not taking that step of faith today because you were focused on one "small red part" of your life.
In the classic Christian hymn, Amazing Grace, the last stanza of the hymn goes like this: "When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’d first begun." I have always been captivated by the image given when hearing the part that says, "When we've been there ten thousand years..." Ten thousand years? This is inconceivable for the human mind to comprehend. It reminds me of Paul in 1 Corinthians when he said, "What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him ...(1 Corinthians 2:9)." Most of us are lucky if we get to our 80's much less 10,000 years of age. The oldest people in the Bible didn't make it to 1,000 years old and that is another age difficult to imagine attaining. Yet, as humans, we spend nearly every waking hour focused on how to get the most out of the life we have here and give little thought to eternity, much less 10,000 years into it. Christian pastor Francis Chan gave an eye-opening teaching example regarding eternity by using a simple rope. He brings the rope out on stage and unfolds it. The rope is probably 20 feet long. On the end of the rope he is holding, he has painted about a palm's width of the rope red. Chan says, "Imagine this rope goes on forever and imagine that this rope is a timeline of your existence. You see this red part? This would represent your time on earth.” He continues, "And what blows me away is that for some of you, all you're consumed with thinking about is this small red part.” He is correct. Most people are only consumed with our "small red part;" our physical existence on this earth from the moment we are born until the day we die. How many people do you know whose sole focus is on how they live their life before death? Concerns about what job to take, who to marry, when to divorce, how much is needed for retirement, their physical health, what vacation to take, what to add to their bucket list, politics, protecting the environment, protecting animals, sports, Hollywood, etc. The list is endless. But, let me ask you one question: Ten thousand years from now, will any of those things (or whatever you add to the list) matter? Do not get me wrong, I understand we all have to live our lives and take care of the issues of life. Plus, God gave us this planet to enjoy and these bodies to live in. However, both are only temporary. One day our bodies will give out and we will, "return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19).” And one day, "The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The sun and moon and stars will burn up. The earth and all that is in it will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10)." So, again, I ask you; ten thousand years from now, will anything you are focused on now matter?
Jesus told us not to worry about what we will eat, drink or wear. It is probably safe to say we shouldn't worry about where we live, who we marry and all the other things in life. At least not to the point that we are so consumed with them that we neglect eternity. The apostle Paul talked on several occasions about being content. In fact, in one of the most popular passages in the Bible, Philippians 4, Paul said, "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 4:12-13)." Most Christians will focus on verse 13 and being able to "do all this" through Christ. While that is a great promise, what goes unmentioned is verse 12 where Paul says he has "learned the secret of being content." Regardless of his circumstances, he was at peace. It is being at peace, specifically with God, that is the foundation of being content. When you are content, you will display the fruits of the Spirit; specifically, self-control. When you are not consumed by trying to squeeze the most out of this life, you will bear the fruit of self-control because you are not looking for the next thing to do, have or experience. The peace Paul experienced, in my opinion, originated from knowing his identity in Christ. Paul knew that God was meeting the deepest desires of his heart for unconditional love, total acceptance, meaning, and purpose. He knew He was a forgiven, child of God, with the presence of the Holy Spirit indwelling Him. This meant he was not looking at the world for what he could get from it, but rather, he looked at the world for what he could give to it; the love of God through the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Once Paul found the Lord, his whole life changed to a life of doing all He could to proclaim Jesus to the world. Paul was martyred at roughly 60 years of age in the first century. But, Paul is with the Lord right now. He hasn't been there 10,000 years, but he has been there for over 1,900 years. That's a lot more than the 60 years he spent here on earth. The lesson to take from his life and many of the writers of the Bible is that our focus should be on eternity. Life is too short to be worried only about the handful of years we spend on this side of the "dust." Eternity is a long time and we could be thrust into it at any moment without warning. My prayer is that regardless of the circumstances of your life, you pause and take inventory of your spiritual condition. Are you living a life apart from faith in Jesus Christ distracted by all the cares of this world? Are you a Christian who is looking to God solely for what He can give you in this life? It is time to take inventory of your life and get your eyes off yourself and the cares of this world and place them squarely on Jesus Christ. The peace of God and the contentment which comes from it are available to you. Ten thousand years from now, you may regret not taking that step of faith today because you were focused on one "small red part" of your life.
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