All Things are Possible
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
My grandfather signs all of his notes, letters, and cards with this verse. It has been his “life verse” for years, and I have just known it without always thinking about what it means. When I take time to think about it, I am encouraged and my motivation for endurance is renewed.
In becoming a Christian, we are to acknowledge that Jesus is God’s Son, He laid down His life for us on the cross, He died, and He arose again from the grave. We ask Jesus into our hearts to reign as the supreme guide for us to follow. Once we have the basics down, it is easier to understand that Jesus came to save us from our sins and from ourselves as humans.
In the process of accepting Jesus, we acknowledge that we must become less, and He must become more. We change our priorities, we let go of being in control, and we work to submit to this authority even though it all goes against our human nature. We work towards leaning on God, asking for His help, and enduring what life has to offer.
The verse above tells us a simple truth about endurance. With God’s strength on our side, we can endure anything. No matter what we are facing on Earth, we can walk through it because we are not alone. We can gain strength from the eternal strength of God and be encouraged by knowing that He has gone ahead of us already.
Paul writes that he can do all things. There is nothing he can’t do through Christ and because of Christ, and this is motivation for Paul to continue on his journey. It should be an encouragement to us as believers to not give up.
No matter what we are going through, we can hold our heads up and face it. Whether we are having trouble in school, at home, or in life, whether we are experiencing a painful loss, an illness, or a disappointment, and if we are exhausted both mentally and physically, we need to remember Jesus words in Matthew 19: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” We can endure because God is in charge of all things, and He is our source of strength.
Take Away: Take a moment to think about what hard things you are enduring right now. Are you hurting or stressed out about anything? If so, make a list of “all things” that you need help with. Take another moment to ask God for strength in those areas. Remind yourself that you can do anything with God’s help. If not, make a card with this verse on it for your bathroom mirror so that you are reminded when you have a hard time in the future.