ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST, MY STRENGTH

Too often when we hear the verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” we place more emphasis on the “I can do all things” part than on the part that gives us the reason we can do all things. Christ is our strength—always.

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES             by Sally Bair

Kick the can-do attitude  

When I was a kid, my friends often played kick the can. We divided into two teams and tried to keep the metal can from reaching the “enemy” team by repeatedly kicking it.

The old-fashioned phrase, kick the can, has several meanings, including “to be able.” Most of us are able to perform daily living tasks and use our five senses. And when we want to do something, we rely on our abilities. Great things have been accomplished by talented, able people. And how often do we tell ourselves, “I can do that?” Or, “I can beat my addiction … make my marriage work … raise my kids to love God?”

If we believe we feel equipped, strong or able, we’ll use our own strength to do whatever task we set out to accomplish. But what do we do when we face obstacles or setbacks? We can’t always rely on ourselves. We may be unequipped or too weak. In fact, we all have weaknesses. We’re human, after all.

God wants us to rely on His strength rather than on our own. The apostle Paul had much to be proud of. He was a zealous Pharisee, blameless in obeying the Jewish laws. Then He met Jesus and discovered his strengths were actually weaknesses. He realized that without God’s strength, he could do nothing. His sense and feeling of self-sufficiency disappeared.  He wrote, “What things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:7-8)

Paul not only admitted his weaknesses, he boasted about them, knowing Christ alone was his strength. Through Holy Spirit revelation, Paul shows us that truth. “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

When we consider that God created us and provides all things necessary for life, we can agree with Paul.

Lord, thank You for Your power that overcomes our weakness. Forgive us for believing we can do things on our own strength. We choose to kick the “can do” attitude out of our lives and accept You as our strength and power. In Jesus’ name, amen.