Strengthened by Divine Power

Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," or literally, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." A look at the context tells us where this exclamation came from: "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need" (vv. 11-12).

On numerous occasions the Philippian church had sent aid to Paul, for which he was quite thankful: "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity" (v. 10). And he added, "Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress" (v. 14). But Paul most wanted them to realize that "in whatever state" he was in, he had "learned... to be content" (v. 11b).

"Content" (v. 11b) means "self-sufficient." "The Stoics used this word (which occurs only here in the NT) to mean human self-reliance and fortitude, a calm acceptance of life’s pressures. But Paul used it to refer to a divinely bestowed sufficiency, whatever the circumstances" (Lightner, R. P. [1985], Philippians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck [Eds.], The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures [Vol. 2, p. 664], Wheaton, IL: Victor Books).

I am sure there were times when Paul suffered hardship. There were likely also times when those hardships gave way to better days. Paul learned to be content in either circumstance. There were days when he suffered financial shortfalls, along with other material needs. He also experienced days when he had an abundance. In whatever circumstance he found himself, whether well-fed or hungry, whether in plenty or in want, he "learned... to be content" (v. 11b).

Paul was "content" (v. 11b) because of the sufficiency of Christ. Our main text, verse 13, explains: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Christ is all-sufficient. He meets our every need. Paul understood this well. He had learned to trust all things, all circumstances, into His hands. Paul understood that he could do anything, handle every circumstance of life, "through Christ who" gave him "strength" (v. 13).

It is the same for us today. Like Paul, we need to learn to trust all things, all circumstances of life, whether good or bad, into the hands of Christ our Lord. He is the one who is sufficient to bring us through it all. That is what Galatians 2:20 means when it says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Amen.

The Wonder of It All!

This is known as Passion Week, the week leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It began with Jesus entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey (fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9— "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey."). This is known as Palm Sunday.

The week was filled with all sorts of intrigue, from the people laying branches in His path on Sunday as He entered Jerusalem amid a lot of pomp and circumstance, and much rejoicing. As the week progresses, we encounter Jesus cleansing the Temple of merchants, teaching His disciples, and going back and forth with the Jewish leaders over various topics. It all culminates with Jesus sharing the Passover meal with His disciples, instituting the Lord's Supper, being arrested later in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then being crucified and buried the next day (Good Friday).

That brings us to Sunday morning. Jesus was buried hurriedly because the Sabbath was fast approaching. The women waited until after the Sabbath to finish preparing His body for burial. So first thing Sunday morning they made their way to His tomb, where they found things had changed greatly. Let's pick up the story there: "They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again"'" (Luke 24:2-7).

The two men at the tomb surprised the women, and their dazzling appearance frightened them. The women bowed before them in humble fear and respect (vv. 4-5a), not in worship (angels would not have accepted any form of worship). One angel spoke, asking an obvious question: "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" (v. 5b).Yes, why? Jesus promised to rise from the dead (v. 7), so why did they come to the tomb expecting to find Him? Then the angel spoke the words that should thrill the hearts of everyone right up to today: "He is not here, but is risen!" (v. 6a).

Oh, the wonder of it all! When people first hear about the resurrection of Jesus, they may need a little space, a little time to absorb it all and to contemplate the wonder of it all. They may at first think it a mere fairy tale. Then they may think it through a little more and do a little investigating, checking out the facts. Only when they encounter Jesus in a personal way will they accept the fact of the resurrection. When they commit their lives to Jesus and trust Him as their Lord and Savior, they will begin to realize the reality of His presence. If this is you, take the time to wonder, to think about the truth of Jesus' death and resurrection. Oh, the wonder of it all. Amen.

God's Joy Over You

Zephaniah 3:17 says, "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Though this was written with Israel in mind, Zephaniah 3:17 refers to the Millennial Kingdom and easily carries over to all of God's people. In fact, verse 17 is apparently spoken to them by the Gentile believers: "In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: 'Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak'" (v. 16). Instead, they are to lift their hands in triumph because the Lord is with them.

Know first of all, that God is with you: "The LORD your God in your midst" (v. 17a). The Lord God is here referred to as "The Mighty One" (v. 17b). He is indeed mighty. He is all-powerful. He is the Savior, the One who "will save" (v. 17b). As God's people, you can rejoice because the Lord destroys the wicked, and in so doing, He saves the righteous.

As your all-powerful Savior, "He will rejoice over you with gladness" (v. 17c). The Lord God delights in His people. All of God's people are the object of His great love, not His wrath. The millennium will be a time of peace for God's people. They will rejoice! But more than that, God will rejoice over you His people, because you are His heart's delight.

Also, the Lord God "will quiet you with His love" (v. 17d), or "in his love he will no longer rebuke you" (NIV). This carries the idea of God being silent as to your faults, not imputing them against you, It is that calm silent joy that you experience when in the presence of the one you love. That is how the Lord your God feels toward you.

This great love God has for you gives way to singing: "He will rejoice over you with singing" (v. 17e). God's joy, expressed in His singing over you, comes straight from His delight that you His chosen people are with Him in that land because you are under His blessing.

Throughout this verse, we respond to God. We rejoice with singing because He first rejoiced over us with singing. This is the only place where God is mentioned as singing, except when Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples after dinner the night He was betrayed. The message is: Rejoice because God rejoices over you. Trust Him fully in all things. Amen.