I Can Do All Things Through Christ

I have a friend who is a follower of Jesus like me. I consider this man more apt than me in many respects, yet I find him as easily beset by his own life and behavior as am I. The issue posed to me was this: that Philippians 4:13 applies to all things that I am supposed to do and not everything that I think can be done in a given period of time.

It is my self-expectation, and the expectation of God according to Scripture, that I live my life worthy of the calling of God. (thus the title of this textual soliloquy). Philippians 4:13 asserts, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Singularly taken, this verse at times encourages me that I when I rely on the power of Jesus through me, I will live out capabilities beyond my human ability. Not super-human strength necessarily, but God will supply all my needs during episodes of turmoil, grief, frustration, or any other hardship. However, abstracting this verse from its proper context can also yield undue anxiety or pressure.

The apostle Paul wrote the letter to the group of Christ-followers from a prison cell, a hellhole.  Before stating the "I can do all things" phrase, he prefaced this:

           "But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." --Philippians 4:10-12

Paul's absolute assertion, "I can do ALL THINGS," then, is not related to accomplishments but to perseverance; not to some life crown or achievement or red badge of courage, but to hope, to simple joy that Jesus has (and will continually) supported me any and all circumstances. The emphasis in this section is for our hope and joy. If I, Paul, chief of sinners because I persecuted Christians mercilessly, have been given such joy in all circumstances, he will do the same for you.

As I consider the ramifications of Philippians 4:13 in its context, I must look to other Scriptural contexts. Please read these, knowing that throughout the Bible, there is ample support for my assertion that "I can do all things through Christ" is for my joy, not my pressure.

Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort All who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness...that they may be called trees of righteousness..."

Colossions 1:10 "...[T]hat you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy..."

John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another."  (emphasis is on my responsibility, my calling, my appointing, not anyone else's).

II Corinthians 12:9 "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

II Timothy 4:16 "At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me..."  (despite human abandonment, Christ remained faithful).

Isaiah 62:4 "You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah ("My Delight") and your land Beulah for the Lord delights in you."

Isaiah 43:1 "But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine."

So, I will remain vigilant in my behavior, for He has chosen me to DO powerfully. I CAN DO all things, but He is the point of it. My doing all things for Christ is independent of others' behavior. No one else's behavior changes the fact that my Doing is to testify of Jesus.

Incomplete and Insufficient

These two words woke me up this fine Sunday morning.  I AM incomplete, I have left things incomplete, and I AM insufficient.  BUT THAT IS ACTUALLY A TESTAMENT TO THE FACT THAT I NEED OTHERS....and so do you.

Hemingway wrote about the self-sufficient man in his books.  But the author committed suicide with a shotgun to the head.  If we were truly meant to be self-sufficient....I can do all things without any support, I make my own rules, I do all things without anyone...then how is there any knowledge, any wisdom, to continually perpetuate the species?  We DO need each other, we ARE interconnected, we MUST involve others in our lives.  King Solomon, notably the wisest person to have ever lived, stated, "The man who separates himself is not wise."

So, I am writing this as a reminder to us that we all have (and have had) mentors, those that pass on knowledge so we can be aptly skilled, sociable, generous, wealthy, employable, employed, and thoughtful.  Watch an infant from birth through the first year of life and you will be reminded of the necessity of others in our lives.

Remembering my incompleteness and insufficiency does not keep me from striving to be better.  The reminder for me, though, is that I have a part to play.  I am not the play. And that is much less stressful.

Good, good morning, My Lord.

Hee Hee, I'm thinking about my only son.

Family camping trip when he was maybe 8 years old.  My wife was inside the camper, preparing the meal.  She exclaimed, "The fridge is out!"  The kids and I were gathering wood for the fire.  It's June and a residual snowbank is to the right of the camper.  My wife calls to Ryan, hands him the gallon jug of milk and said, "Hey, put the milk in the snow."  After less than a minute, he hands her the empty jug.  Mom looks very confused, says to Ryan, "What did you do?"  He responded, frankly, "I put the milk in the snow."

Bravo, Ryan.  Bravo.

Enjoying the Sufficient

Wow...I want to pass on to you the encouragement I received this week.  Pick up the Bible and read this with joy.  I listened to a sermon from a pastor, David Jeremiah, who was teaching on the cycle of God's sufficiency.  It's called the Sermon on the Amount.

Question:  If I commit my money to God, can He take care of me?  (This question has hit me hard lately).  This becomes an issue of obedience, especially when I do not "feel like" giving money to others because I know how I can use the money for myself.

Sermon basis:  2 Corinthians 9:8.  "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good work."  The context of the verse is related to the issue of financially giving to "the saints," or better, giving money to those within the local group of fellow believers who need it (Bret Mixon version).

Cycle of God's Sufficiency  (All 5 elements are in the verse, broken apart for examination)
1.  "He is able to make...."  {The power of His sufficiency} 
  *2 Timothy 1:12--For this reason I suffer all these things, but I AM NOT ASHAMED; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.
  *Matthew 19:26--And looking at them, Jesus said, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
   *Hebrews 2:18--For since He was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.  
   *Hebrews 7:25--He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him (Jesus), since He always lives to make intercession for them.
   *Jude 24-25--Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.  
   *Matthew 7:11--If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in Heaven give what is good to those who ask Him?
   *Job 42:2--I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.

2.  "...all grace..."  {The potential of His sufficiency}
   *James 1:17--Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.
   *1 Chronicles 29:14--But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this?  For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given back to You.  
   *Romans 8:32--He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?  NOTE:  not every greed-initiated desire but our needs, giving us sufficiency.....
   *Psalm 145:16--You do open Your hand, and do satisfy the desire of every living thing.
   *2 Corinthians 9:15--Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!  (Jesus)
   *Philippians 4:19--And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

3.  "...abound..."  {The proportion of His sufficiency}  Definitions:  increase, excel, exceed, overflow.  THE EMPHASIS is on the abundance of these:
     *All comfort abound
     *All  joy abound
     *All faith abound
     *All thanksgiving abound
     *All knowledge abound
     *All diligence abound
     *All generosity abound
     *All grace abound
     *All ministry abound
     *All riches abound
     *All good works abound

4.  "...to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything,..."  {The provision of His sufficiency}
   *Philippians 4:19--And my God shall supply ALL YOUR NEEDS according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  
   *David Jeremiah re-emphasized the above list in #3, putting stress on the word ALL.  The point is this:  All my/your needs will be provided for, in abundance.  The word NEEDS is not only related to the financial aspect of this life, but the internal, the spiritual, the psychological, the mental, the emotional, the occupational, the motivational needs we have to do for others.

5.  "..you may have an abundance for every good work."  {The purpose of His sufficiency}
     *David Jeremiah reminds us that the end result, the purpose, of God's promises to provide what we need is so we will use all of ourselves and what we have to minister to others.  

THE TAKEAWAY?
*I say I believe the Bible is the Word of God.  I say I believe that Jesus (historically proven person) is God and did, in fact, rise from the dead.
*When I actually DO what I say I believe, I must DO what is in 2 Corinthians 9:8.  
*My trust, my passion, my behavior must align with this promise, that God will provide for me SO THAT I can show my trust in Him by ministering to others.  
*Ministering means to care for, do for, aid, etc. and doing so in Jesus' name.  So, when people ask, "Why are you doing this?", I/you must respond in a way that gives the accolade right back to Jesus:
    +"I'm simply doing what Jesus did."
    +"You matter to God because you are still living, and you matter to me."
   
David Jeremiah's explanation of the cycle of sufficiency?  As we live out this verse, picture a wheel and the elements of the cycle move as a wheel.

When we understand the MIGHT of His provision (Able), He increases the MEASURE of His provision (All grace) and the MANNER of His provision (Abound), which puts into MOTION His sufficiency through His MEANS (the list in #3), having the end result of MINISTRY to others.  

Good, Good morning, my Lord!

Just read

My Heart Overflows with a Good Theme!

Psalm 45:1

King David, in the Psalms, wrote, "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."  For what purpose do I begin a blog when so many other words have been written?  

I expect of myself to write for encouragement's sake, for my own sake, for your sake.  So much grief, so much sorrow, so much heartache.  But, who will tell of the Lord's grace still in operation?  I will.  

As 2013 begins, where is God's grace?

*My only son gets married tomorrow, January 5, 2013.  His bride, Anna, is the most excellent woman for my son.  We are going into this new life venture with Ryan and Anna with joy because they both have the Lord God as their guide, individually and collectively.  

*My father had pericardial effusion (fluid surrounding his heart) so the fluid pressure was keeping his heart from beating efficiently.  In two days, 12 pounds of fluid were removed from his body.  He is functioning normally again.  He told me his attitude toward his congregation (he is a pastor of a church) is better already.  Instead of getting mad at those who occupy the seats each week, he is reinvigorated to visit them to encourage them to live more like Christ.

*Both of my sisters are at my house to celebrate my son's wedding!

*Though our nation's Congress passed an anemic bill to avoid the ol' fiscal cliff, they did finally move on the thing.  So, the grace?  Our nation has a little time to push those we elected to collectively problem-solve how to make real change....namely, raise taxes on those making 250K +.  Why did the Congress not pass the 250K + measure and instead choose to raise taxes on those making over 400K?  Because all of the Congress would be affected.  The grace in that?  The reality of their hypocrisy is evident.

*If you can read this, you are blessed with sufficient visual acuity to read words, process each letter and space on the page, attach semantic intent to each with amazing fluidity and speed, all for the purpose of understanding another human's thoughts as expressed on your screen.

*You awoke this morning.  So, your autonomic nervous system is working sufficiently.

Good, good morning, my Lord!

Bret