Philippians 4:12-14
New International Version
12 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. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.
I recently wrote about the blessings and lessons we can learn by living out the verse of sharing our burdens. But here, we see Paul explain a mystery that he once misunderstood until he had the best and worst of the spectrum of need. The answer to the secret was manifested in verse 13. I can do all this through Him, who gives me strength.
So simple, but yet the application can feel so foreign at times. We often are reaching out from a state of weakness as if to muster up God's strength. When in reality, we simply must surrender.
Psalm 27 was David asking God for strength to withstand the troubles he was facing. Psalm 27 starts like this...
Psalm 27
New International Version
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
All of Psalm 27 will bless anyone looking for the strength of God. It starts with a simple but powerful truth that has given the Christian throughout history the strength to endure all things when it is God who sheds light on all things and provides us salvation that reaches beyond the fear of physical death.
A healthy meditation on the assurance of salvation will put strength into any Christian's life.
Philippians 4:14 has Paul reminding his readers of the same lesson in sharing each other's burdens. The lesson, often being some of the most outstanding witnesses, most incredible testimonies, and sparks of revival, came from the strength of those who fully surrendered to the will of God in any circumstance of need or of plenty they gave from abundance.
As we share in each other's troubles, the strength of others is often contagious as we see the radiance of God reflected within those who have learned the same secret that Paul addresses in Phillippians 4:12-13.
New International Version
12 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. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles.
I recently wrote about the blessings and lessons we can learn by living out the verse of sharing our burdens. But here, we see Paul explain a mystery that he once misunderstood until he had the best and worst of the spectrum of need. The answer to the secret was manifested in verse 13. I can do all this through Him, who gives me strength.
So simple, but yet the application can feel so foreign at times. We often are reaching out from a state of weakness as if to muster up God's strength. When in reality, we simply must surrender.
Psalm 27 was David asking God for strength to withstand the troubles he was facing. Psalm 27 starts like this...
Psalm 27
New International Version
Of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
All of Psalm 27 will bless anyone looking for the strength of God. It starts with a simple but powerful truth that has given the Christian throughout history the strength to endure all things when it is God who sheds light on all things and provides us salvation that reaches beyond the fear of physical death.
A healthy meditation on the assurance of salvation will put strength into any Christian's life.
Philippians 4:14 has Paul reminding his readers of the same lesson in sharing each other's burdens. The lesson, often being some of the most outstanding witnesses, most incredible testimonies, and sparks of revival, came from the strength of those who fully surrendered to the will of God in any circumstance of need or of plenty they gave from abundance.
As we share in each other's troubles, the strength of others is often contagious as we see the radiance of God reflected within those who have learned the same secret that Paul addresses in Phillippians 4:12-13.
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