Where in the World is My Joy? 14
Three Thoughts About Strength
Life is one of those things that requires strength to get through. There are days that are easy, like 2 a year, and then days that are hard. Either way, we must make it through the day and all that comes at us. I think we all know that we need strength. The question becomes where do we get the strength to make it through the day? Paul ends Philippians with some thoughts on strength to make it through what we have to go through.
We Can Borrow Strength From Others
I am very happy in the Lord that you have shown your care for me again. You continued to care about me, but there was no way for you to show it. Philippians 4:10 (NCV)
But it was good that you helped me when I needed it. You Philippians remember when I first preached the Good News there. When I left Macedonia, you were the only church that gave me help. Several times you sent me things I needed when I was in Thessalonica. Really, it is not that I want to receive gifts from you, but I want you to have the good that comes from giving. And now I have everything, and more. I have all I need, because Epaphroditus brought your gift to me. It is like a sweet-smelling sacrifice offered to God, who accepts that sacrifice and is pleased with it. Philippians 4:14-18 (NCV)
This church helped give Paul the strength he needed when he needed it. At one point Paul talks about not being a burden on others, but funny, in a letter written towards the end of his life he thanks people for helping him. Most of the time we want to be self-sufficient, the ol’ pull yourself up by your bootstraps logic. The thing is to be honest; life gets heavy at times. Occasionally, it is more than we can bear alone. That is why we were put into families and have friends. Lean into those who can help you carry the weight of this life. So sometimes we borrow strength from the people around us. And always remember that sometimes those around you might have to borrow a little strength as well.
Our Circumstances Don’t Have to Determine Our Strength
I am not telling you this because I need anything. I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens. I know how to live when I am poor, and I know how to live when I have plenty. I have learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens, when I have enough to eat and when I go hungry, when I have more than I need and when I do not have enough. Philippians 4:11-12 (NCV)
I’m guilty of getting up in the morning and seeing how the weather is. We live in Michigan, so it is truly day to day. Sunshine is a blessing and then there are the other 300 days of the year. Many times, I just want to go back to bed because the weather is going to be Michigan. So, we must decide that what is going on around us will not weaken us but make us stronger. Paul reminds us that strength overcomes circumstances. Be honest. How many times have things been perfect in your life? I know, you can count those on one hand. That is why we cannot let what is happening decide how our day will go. I will have the strength to tell life to sit down every once in a while. (You should be proud of me because those are not the words I wanted to use.) So I will not find strength in my circumstances but in my heart to keep going.
Our Strength Can Be Found in Jesus
I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NCV)
My God will use his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give you everything you need. Glory to our God and Father forever and ever! Amen. Philippians 4:19-20 (NCV)
I am going to be honest. In my life I have faced some hard times. I will not talk about them in depth, but there have been some things that were had to get through. As I sit back at 58, I realize that it was my faith in Jesus that carried me through them. At times we need to lift up our hand and know that without God, we will not make it through an of this. So, I lean into my faith to see my way through what life throws at me. Tim Tebow made the verse headline news, but it has been true since Paul wrote it over 2,000 years ago. The best amen we can say is the one that ends at God’s taking care of us. There is a strength we cannot understand this side of life. When we lean into God for strength, we will be amazed at what we can go through and not quit.