Can do (2480) (ischuo from ischus = might) means to be strong in body or in resources. Ischuo can speak of physical power (Mk 2:17, 5:4, 9:12). It can speak of having the required personal resources to accomplish some objective as here in Php 4:13 or conversely with the negative speaks of that which is good for nothing (Mt 5:13-note). Ischuo is the equivalent of to have efficacy, to avail or to have force.
When Paul said that he could do all things, he meant all things which were God’s will for him to do. He had learned that the Lord’s commands are always the Lord’s enablements. Where the finger of God points, the hand of God provides the way.
Ischuo can mean to be valid or be in force as a covenant (He 9:17-note).
Ischuo - 28x in the NT - Mt 5:13; Mt 8:28; 9:12; 26:40; Mk 2:17; 5:4; 9:18 = (here ischuo refers to power as evidenced by extraordinary deeds); Mk 14:37; Lk 6:48; 8:43; 13:24; 14:6, 29, 30; 16:3; 20.26" class="scriptRef">20:26; Jn. 21:6; Acts 6:10; 15:10; 19:16, 20; 25:7; 27:16; Gal. 5:6; Php 4:13; Heb 9:17; Jas 5:16; Rev 12:8.
Matthew 5:13 (note) You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
Matthew 8:28 And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs; they were so exceedingly violent that no one could pass by that road.
Matthew 9:12 But when He heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy (be strong in body, be robust, be in sound health) who need a physician, but those who are sick.
Matthew 26:40 And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?
Mark 2:17 And hearing this, Jesus said to them, "it is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Mark 5:4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Mark 9:18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth, and stiffens out. And I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it."
Mark 14:37 And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Luke 6:48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation upon the rock; and when a flood rose, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
Luke 8:43 And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone,
Luke 13:24 "Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
Luke 14:6 And they could make no reply to this.
Luke 14:29 "Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'
Luke 16:3 "And the steward said to himself, 'What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.
Luke 20:26 And they were unable to catch Him in a saying in the presence of the people; and marveling at His answer, they became silent.
John 21:6 And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch." They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
Acts 6:10 And yet they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
Acts 15:10 "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
Acts 19:16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered (to use one's strength against one, to treat him with violence) them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Acts 19:20 So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing (to have strength to overcome).
Acts 25:7 And after he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him which they could not prove;
Acts 27:16 And running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship's boat under control.
Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything (is of any power in), but faith working through love.
Ischuo can mean “to be effective” or “to be capable of producing results” in Gal 5:6 states that the physical act of circumcision is not effective or is not capable of producing results.
Wuest comments Paul's use of ischuo in Galatians noting that it
means “to have power, to exert or wield power.” Thus, in the case of the one who is joined to Christ Jesus in that life-giving union which was effected through the act of the Holy Spirit baptizing the believing sinner into the Lord Jesus (Ro 6:3, 4), the fact that he is circumcised or is not circumcised, has no power for anything in his life. The thing that is of power to effect a transformation in the life is faith, the faith of the justified person which issues in love in his life, a love produced by the Holy Spirit.
Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
Hebrews 9:17 (note) For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. (Young's Literal reads "very strong is a working supplication of a righteous man")
Revelation 12:8 (note) and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
The NAS renders ischuo as able(5), am strong enough(1), been able(1), can(1), can do(1), could(8), good(1),healthy(2), in force(1), means(1), overpowered(1), prevailing(1), strong enough(2), unable (2).
Ischuo is used 71x in the Septuagint (Lxx) - 31.29" class="scriptRef">Ge 31:29; Ex 1:9, 12, 20" class="scriptRef">20" class="scriptRef">20; Lv 5:7; 27:8; 22.6" class="scriptRef">Nu 22:6; 10" class="scriptRef">Dt. 2:10; 16:10; 28:32; 31:6, 7, 23; Jos. 1:6, 7, 9, 14, 18; 25" class="scriptRef">10:25; 11" class="scriptRef">14:11; Jdg. 6:2; 7:11; 1 Ki. 2:2; 1 Chr. 16:11; 22:13; 28:7, 10, 20; 29:14; 2 Chr. 2:6; 15:7; 17:13; 19:11; 25:8; 32:7; Esther 4:17; Job 36:9, 31; Ps. 13:4; Pr 7:1; 18:19; Isa. 1:24; 3:1, 2, 25; 5:22; 8:9; 10:21; 22:3; 23:8, 11; 25:8; 28:22; 35:3, 4; 41:7; 46:2; 49:25; 50:2; 59:1; Jer 5:6; 20:11; 48:14; Da 1:4; 4:11, 20, 22; 7:21; 8:8; 10:19; Joel 3:10
Ischuo (and ischus) are somewhat similar to other Greek words (kratos, energeia) but are distinct. Ralph Earle summarizes these differences noting that...
Eadie distinguishes the meaning thus: Ischus ... is—power in possession, ability or latent power, strength which one has, but which he may or may not put forth.... Kratos ... is that power excited into action—might. Energeia, as its composition implies, is power in actual operation. Ischus, to take a familiar illustration, is the power lodged in the arm, kratos is that arm stretched out or up-lifted with conscious aim, while energeia is the same arm at actual work, accomplishing the designed result.
Salmond supports these distinctions. He writes: "Kratos is power as force, mastery, power as shown in action: ischus is power as inherent, power as possessed, but passive. (Earle, R. Word Meanings in the New Testament).
Vincent explains the root word ischus exhibits the idea ...
of indwelling strength, especially as embodied: might which inheres in physical powers organized and working under individual direction, as an army: which appears in the resistance of physical organisms, as the earth, against which one dashes himself in vain: which dwells in persons or things, and gives them influence or value: which resides in laws or punishments to make them irresistible. This sense comes out clearly in the New Testament in the use of the word and of its cognates. Thus, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30): “according to the working of his mighty power” (Eph 1:19-note). So the kindred adjective ischuros. “A strong man” (Mt 12:29): a mighty famine (Luke 15:14): his letters are powerful (2 Cor. 10:10): a strong consolation (He 6:18-note): a mighty angel (Re 18:21-note). Also the verb ischuo. “It is good for nothing” (Mt 5:13-note): “shall not be able” (Luke 13:24): “I can do all things” (Philippians 4:13): “availeth much” (Jas 5:16)...(In sum ischus is) indwelling power put forth or embodied, either aggressively or as an obstacle to resistance: physical power organized or working under individual direction. An army and a fortress are both ischuros. The power inhering in the magistrate, which is put forth in laws or judicial decisions, is ischus, and makes the edicts ischura valid and hard to resist."
THROUGH (in) HIM ("in Christ") WHO (continually) STRENGTHENS ME: en toi endunamounti (PAPMSD) me:(Take a moment to ponder the following Scriptures to amplify the meaning of this great principle = 2Co 12:9,10; Ep 3:16; 6:10; Col 1:11; Isa 40:29, 30, 31; 41:10; 45:24)
Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in Thee I find.
Through Christ, Who is strengthening me, and does continually strengthen me; it is by His constant and renewed strength I am enabled to act in every thing; I wholly depend upon Him for all my spiritual power (Matthew Henry's paraphrase)
For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need (NLT)
Warren Wiersbe explains that...
All of nature depends on hidden resources (cp "in Whom" = Christ in Col 2:3-note). The great trees send their roots down into the earth to draw up water and minerals (cp Col 2:7-note). Rivers have their sources in the snow-capped mountains. The most important part of a tree is the part you cannot see, the root system, and the most important part of the Christian’s life is the part that only God sees. Unless we draw on the deep resources of God by faith (2Co 5:7, cp Ro 10:17-note), we fail against the pressures of life. Paul depended on the power of Christ at work in his life (Php 1:6, 21" class="scriptRef">21, 2:12, 13, 3:10 - see notes Php 1:6, 21; 2:12; 13; 3:10). “I can—through Christ!” was Paul’s motto, and it can be our motto too. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Through Him is literally in Him, a key phrase here and in all of Paul's epistles for it speaks of the believer's vital union and identification with Christ, so that even as a branch apart from a vine can bear no fruit, even so a believer apart from abiding in the "Vine" can do nothing of lasting import (Jn 15:5, 8, 16). It is all from Him, through Him and to Him be the glory. Amen. Because Paul had learned the secret (Php 4:11, 12-note) of continually abiding in Christ, Paul justifiably felt that it was impossible for life to confront him with anything that he and the Lord could not handle, no matter how severe or how favorable! (See related studies on In Christ and in Christ Jesus)
Kent Hughes writes that...
Christ was in him (Paul), and he was in Christ. For Paul, being aware of Christ’s presence was as natural as breathing (Ed: cp "abiding" in Him). The wondrous reality was that the Lord was at Paul’s side as he stood before imperial Rome at his first hearing (2Ti 4:17-note) and that, in Paul’s words, he “gave me strength”—or as A. T. Robertson renders it, “poured power into me” (cf. Philippians 4:13). It was as if a pair of jumper cables were attached to Christ and then to Paul, so that Jesus’ voltage poured into Paul (cp Col 1:29-note, Gal 2:20-note). (Hughes, R. K., & Chapell, B. 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus : To Guard the Deposit. Preaching the Word)
The Puritan Thomas Watson wrote...
Deny self-confidence (cp 34" class="scriptRef">Mk 8:34, 35, 36, 37, 38, Lk 9:23). It is just with God, that he who trusts himself (cp Pr 3:5, 6, Ps 37:3, 5-note)—should be left to himself! (cp Jas 4:6) The vine being weak—twists around the oak to support it (Jn 15:5). A godly man (cp 1Ti 4:7, 8, 9, 10-note), being conscious of his own imbecility—twists by faith around Christ. Sampson's strength lay in his hair. Ours lies in our Head, Christ (Ep 4:15, 16-note, Ep 5:23-note, Col 1:18-note, Col 2:10-note, Col 2:19-note). "I can do all things through Christ's strengthening me."
A Christian's strength lies in Christ, "I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13. How is a Christian able to do duty, to resist temptation—but through Christ's strengthening? How is it that a spark of grace lives in a sea of corruption, the storms of persecution blowing—but that Christ holds this spark in the hollow of His hand? How is it that the roaring lion of hell has not devoured the saints? Because the Lion of the tribe of Judah has defended them! Christ not only gives us our crown—but our shield. He not only gives us our garland when we overcome—but our strength whereby we overcome. Revelation 12:11, "They overcame him—that is, the accuser of the brethren—by the blood of the Lamb." Christ keeps the royal fort of grace—so that it is not blown up. Peter's shield was bruised—but Christ ensured that it was not broken. "I have prayed for you—that your faith fail not," Luke 22:32, that it be not a total falling away. The crown of all the saints' victories must he set upon the head of Christ!
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QUESTION. How may we fight the good fight so as to overcome?
ANSWER. Let us fight in the strength of Christ. Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Grace itself, if it is not strengthen by Christ, will be beaten out of the field. Some fight against sin in the strength of their vows and resolutions—and so are foiled. We must go out against our spiritual antagonists in the strength of Christ—like David went out against Goliath in the name of the Lord (1Samuel 17:45). "The saints overcame the accuser of the brethren—by the blood of the Lamb" Revelation 12:11.
We must fight on our knees by prayer. Prayer whips the devil. The arrow of prayer, put into the bow of the promise and shot with the hand of faith, pierces the old serpent. Prayer brings God over to our side, and then we are on the strongest side. Let us pray that God will enable us to overcome all our ghostly enemies. While Joshua was fighting, Moses was praying on the mount (Exodus 17:11). So while we are fighting, let us be praying (Ephesians 6:1318). The way to overcome is upon our knees. (The Fight of Faith Crowned)
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The Christian's strength (Thomas Watson, "The One Thing Necessary")
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13
Always labor in the strength of Christ. Never go to work alone. Samson's strength lay in his hair. The Christian's strength lies in Christ.
When you are . . .
to do any duty,
to resist any temptation,
to subdue any lust,
set upon it in the strength of Christ!
Some go out against sin, in the strength of their resolutions and vows—and they are soon foiled. Do as Samson did—he first cried to God for help and then having taken hold of the pillars, he pulled down the house upon the Philistines! Likewise, only when we engage Christ in the work, can we bring down the house upon the head of our lusts!
Prayer beats the weapon out of the devil's hand—and gets the blessing out of God's hand!
J C Ryle (Holiness) writes...
Would you be holy? Would you become a new creature? Then you must begin with Christ. You will do just nothing at all and make no progress until you feel your sin and weakness and flee to Him. He is the root and beginning of all holiness, and the way to be holy is to come to Him by faith and be joined to Him. Christ is not wisdom and righteousness only to His people, but sanctification also. Men sometimes try to make themselves holy first of all, and sad work they make of it. They toil and labor and turn over many new leaves and make many changes; and yet, like the woman with the issue of blood, before she came to Christ, they feel "nothing bettered, but rather worse" (Mark 5:26). They run in vain and labor in vain, and little wonder; for they are beginning at the wrong end. They are building up a wall of sand; their work runs down as fast as they throw it up. They are baling water out of a leaky vessel; the leak gains on them, not they on the leak. Other foundation of holiness can no man lay than that which Paul laid, even Christ Jesus. Without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5). It is a strong but true saying of Traill’s: "Wisdom out of Christ is damning folly; righteousness out of Christ is guilt and condemnation; sanctification out of Christ is filth and sin; redemption out of Christ is bondage and slavery."
Do you want to attain holiness? Do you feel this day a real hearty desire to be holy? Would you be a partaker of the divine nature? Then go to Christ. Wait for nothing. Wait for nobody. Linger not. Do not think to make yourself ready. Go and say to Him, in the words of that beautiful hymn,
"Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Your cross I cling;
Naked, flee to You for dress;
Helpless, look to You for grace."
There is not a brick nor a stone laid in the work of our sanctification until we go to Christ. Holiness is His special gift to His believing people. Holiness is the work He carries on in their hearts by the Spirit whom He puts within them. He is appointed a "Prince and a Savior . . . to give repentance" as well as remission of sins. To as many as receive Him, He gives power to become sons of God (Acts 5:31; John 9:12, 13). Holiness comes not of blood: parents cannot give it to their children; nor yet of the will of the flesh: man cannot produce it in himself; nor yet of the will of man: ministers cannot give it to you by baptism. Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him. It is the fruit of being a living branch of the true Vine. Go then to Christ and say, "Lord, not only save me from the guilt of sin, but send the Spirit, whom You did promise, and save me from its power. Make me holy. Teach me to do Your will."
Would you continue holy? Then abide in Christ. (John 15:4, 5). It pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell, a full supply for all a believer’s wants. He is the Physician to whom you must daily go if you would keep well. He is the Manna which you must daily eat and the Rock of which you must daily drink. His arm is the arm on which you must daily lean as you come up out of the wilderness of this world. You must not only be rooted, you must also be built up in Him. Paul was a man of God indeed, a holy man, a growing thriving Christian, and what was the secret of it all? He was one to whom Christ was all in all. He was ever looking unto Jesus. "I can do all things," he says, "through Christ which strengthens me." "I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God." Let us go and do likewise (Heb. 12:2; Phil. 4:13; Gal. 2:20).
May all who read these pages know these things by experience and not by hearsay only! May we all feel the importance of holiness far more than we have ever done yet! May our years be holy years with our souls, and then they will be happy ones! Whether we live, may we live unto the Lord; or whether we die, may we die unto the Lord; or, if He comes for us, may we be found in peace, without spot, and blameless! (J. C. Ryle. Holiness)
Jerry Bridges...in his modern day classic "The Practice of Godliness" notes that
The second principle of godly character is, The power or enablement for a godly life comes from the risen Christ. Paul said in relation to his ministry, “our competence comes from God” (2Corinthians 3:5), and “I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29).
He said of his ability to be content in any situation,
“I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).
It is very likely that God, in His sovereign calling and preparation of Paul for his tremendous task, had endowed him with more noble qualities and strength of character than any person since; yet Paul consistently attributes his spiritual strength and accomplishments to the Lord’s power. I once heard someone say, “When I do something wrong, I have to take the blame, but when I do something right, God gets the credit.” This person was complaining, but he was exactly correct. Certainly God cannot be blamed for our sins, but only He can provide the spiritual power to enable us to live godly lives.
As the source of power for godliness is Christ, so the means of experiencing that power is through our relationship with Him. This truth is Jesus’ essential teaching in His illustration in John 15 of the vine and the branches. It is only by abiding in Him that we can bring forth the fruit of godly character. The most helpful explanation I have found of what it means to abide in Christ comes from the nineteenth century Swiss theologian Frederic Louis Godet:
To abide in me’ expresses the continual act by which the Christian sets aside everything which he might derive from his own wisdom, strength, merit, to draw all from Christ.
Paul expresses this relationship as “living in Christ.” He says in Colossians 2:6–7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith.” The context of this statement is that all the wisdom and power for living the Christian life are to be found in Christ rather than in manmade philosophies and moralisms (Col 2:2, 3, 4 and Col 2:8, 9, 10). This is what Godet is saying. We have to set aside any dependence upon our own wisdom and strength of character and draw all that we need from Christ through faith in Him. This faith, of course, is expressed concretely by prayer to Him. Psalm 119:33, 34, 35, 36, 37 is a good example of such a prayer of dependence.
This relationship is also maintained by beholding the glory of Christ in His word. In 2Corinthians 3:18 Paul tells us that as we behold the Lord’s glory, we are transformed more and more into His image. Beholding the Lord’s glory in His word is more than observing His humanity in the gospels. It is observing His character, His attributes, and His will in every page of Scripture. And as we observe Him, as we maintain this relationship with Him through His word, we are transformed more and more into His likeness; we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to progressively manifest the graces of godly character.
So it is this relationship with Christ, expressed by beholding Him in His word and depending upon Him in prayer, that enables us to draw from Him the power essential for a godly life. The Christian is not like an automobile with a self-contained power source; rather, he is like an electric motor that must be constantly connected to an outside current for its power. Our source of power is in the risen Christ, and we stay connected to Him by beholding Him in His word and depending on Him in prayer. (Bridges, J.. The Practice of Godliness)
F B Meyer wrote...
Apart from Him we can do nothing. Whilst we are abiding in Him nothing is impossible. The one purpose of our life should therefore be to remain in living and intense union with Christ, guarding against everything that would break it, employing every means of cementing and enlarging it. And just in proportion as we do so, we shall find His strength flowing into us for every possible emergency (Php 4:13). We may not feel its presence; but we shall find it present whenever we begin to draw on it. There is no temptation which we cannot master; no privation which we cannot patiently bear; no difficulty with which we cannot cope; no work which we cannot perform; no confession or testimony which we cannot make, if only our souls are living in healthy union with Jesus Christ; for as our day or hour, so shall our strength be.
John MacDuff ...
He will not impose upon you one needless burden. He will not exact more than He knows your strength will bear. He will ask no Peter to come to Him on the water, unless He impart at the same time strength and support on the unstable waves. He will not ask you to draw water if the well is too deep, or to withdraw the stone if too heavy. But neither at the same time will He admit as an impossibility that which, as a free and responsible agent, it is in your power to avert. He will not regard as your misfortune what is your crime.
Source Unknown...
For me to live is …
For me to live is _______________ ($, pleasure, popularity, power.) If you substitute any word for Christ, then you must change the second phrase to: “To die is loss.”
Christ in me, my life.
Php 1:21, 22
Christ behind me, my example.
Phil. 2:5, 6, 7, 8 - Obedient - Eph. 2:10 - Whenever I say, “Not your will, but mine be done” I forfeit contentment and step out of God’s will.
Christ my goal, before me.
Phil. 3:20, 21
Christ my all-sufficient Provider, above me
In the mental realm Phil. 4:5–7
In the physical realm Phil. 4:13
In the financial realm Phil. 4:19 - Needs, not Greeds
From Cups of Light...
How Far Can You Jump?
A minister in Iowa was preaching on the text, “I can do all things in him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). What, he wondered, could he say or do in the children’s sermon to help the boys and girls understand the meaning of that verse?
Finally, he got an idea. He lined the children up in front of one of the front pews and told them to jump across the aisle so they would be in front of the pew on the other side of the aisle. Of course, none of them could jump that far. They could jump one foot, two feet, even three feet, but not all the way across the aisle.
When he came to the last little girl, he told her to count to three and jump. Then he put his hands under her armpits, and as she jumped, he lifted her and carried her across the aisle. “See,” he said, “she did it… … No,” said the children, “you helped her. You carried her.”
Then he explained: “That’s the way it is with us. We can’t jump out of our sins but Jesus can lift us out of our sins. We can’t jump into the presence of God, but Jesus can lift us into the presence of God. We can’t jump into heaven, but, when the time comes, Jesus can lift us into heaven. We can’t jump out of our selfishness and fears, but, if we let him, Jesus can lift us out of our selfishness and fears.”
Before he wrote the words of the text, Paul told us, “Whatever is true … honorable … just … pure … lovely … gracious … think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). He knew the power of “positive thinking.” But he did not go on to say, “I can do all things through my thoughts which strengthen me.” He knew, and so do we, that often our thoughts are not as true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and gracious, as we know they ought to be. We need help, and Jesus can give us that help.
Let’s show the world how far we can jump—when we let Jesus lift us. (Cranford, C. W. Cups of Light : And other illustrations. Willow Grove, Pa)
P G Ryken writes...
Contentment means wanting what God wants for us rather than what we want for us. The secret to enjoying this kind of contentment is to be so satisfied with God that we are able to accept whatever he has or has not provided. To put this another way, coveting is a theological issue: Ultimately, it concerns our relationship with God. Therefore, the way to get rid of any covetous desire is to be completely satisfied with God and what he provides. In a wonderful book called The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, the Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs explained what we ought to say to ourselves whenever we are tempted to be discontent: “I find a sufficiency of satisfaction in my own heart, through the grace of Christ that is in me. Though I have not outward comforts and worldly conveniences to supply my necessities, yet I have a sufficient portion between Christ and my soul abundantly to satisfy me in every condition.”
Godly people have always known this secret. Asaph knew it. True, there was a time in his life when Asaph was disappointed with God. He saw wicked men prosper, while he himself had nothing to show for his godliness. It made him angry with God and bitter about what life didn’t seem to offer. But then Asaph learned the secret of being content, and he was able to say to the Lord, “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you” (Ps. 73:25).
The Apostle Paul knew the secret, too. He said, “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” (Phil. 4:11b, 12). In other words, Paul had learned that contentment is not circumstantial; it does not depend on our situation in life. So what’s the secret?
Paul said, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).
God is all we need, and therefore all we ought to desire. To be even more specific, all we need is Jesus. God does not offer us his Son as a better way of getting what we want. No; God gives us Jesus and says, “Even if you don’t realize it, he is all you really need.” When we come to Jesus, we receive the forgiveness of our sins through his death and resurrection. We receive the promise of eternal life with God. We receive the promise that he will never leave us or forsake us, that he will help us through all the trials of life. What else do we need? (Ryken, P. G., Hughes, R. K. Exodus: Saved for God's glory. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books)
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Our thinking: It’s impossible
God’s promise: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)
“I’m too tired”
I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28, 29, 30)
“Nobody really loves me”
I love you (Jn 3:16; 13:34)
“I can’t go on”
My grace is sufficient (2Co 12:9; Ps 91:15)
“I can’t figure things out”
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