Watching a football game, I noticed that one of the players had a black strip under his eye. Although this was not out of the norm, it was the inscription that caught my eye. Displayed under his eye was ‘Phil. 4:13’ in reference to the scripture found in Philippians 4:13, which reads, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Although this scripture is routinely taken out of context as a mantra to validate the belief that one can do any-thing, the essence of its overuse is something many of us can identify with. We hope or think we can do many things but we don’t always know what we’re truly capable of.
When we look at the total passage in context beginning with verse 11 it reads, “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. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
The Greek word used in verse 11, which we translate as ‘content’ means self-sufficient. In Stoic Greek philosophy it described a person who unflappably accepts whatever situation might come along. Paul is implying that his sufficiency to remain cool, calm and collected in any situation comes through the strength found in Christ. The ‘things’ that he is able to do through Christ who strengthens him is to endure hardship for the sake of the gospel and endure periods of financial lack if necessary. He doesn’t think he can do it. He knows he can.
Many of us, as we grew up, were told that we could do anything or be anything. But is that true? I think I can do a lot of things but there are far fewer things that I know I can do.
WHAT OTHERS THINK
I heard Sarah Jakes Roberts say, “Sometimes people on the outside can see you better than you see yourself. And because they can see you better than you see yourself they see gifts and talents that can work for them but work against you.” This provides the potential for people to strip your gifts away from you before you fully develop them.
It may seem like the solution is to avoid all human contact and definitely to avoid all human opinion. However, that may not be the recipe for success either. If the goal is holiness and the supreme ethic in life is love, it’s difficult (actually impossible) to accomplish those in isolation. In Beyond Opinion, L.T. Jeyachandran writes, “Morality is always defined in the Bible in the context of relationships…Our lives of faith are lives of knowledge that begins with trust in a relational, trinitarian God and should lead us to similar trusting relationships with others.”
Suffice it to say when we are pursuing our purpose there is a fine line between useful advice and being puffed up by someone else. Being able to identify the difference between purpose sustaining relationships and purpose draining relationships will largely determine whether you fulfill your purpose in the end.
WHAT GOD KNOWS
Wouldn’t it be helpful if there were someone who knew you better than anyone else? Wouldn’t it be helpful to have direction in fulfilling your purpose from someone who has no ulterior motive? Wouldn’t it be beneficial to know if what you think you can do is what you should actually be doing? Thankfully, He exists. Your Heavenly Father can fulfill this role for you.
Discovering your purpose is the first step to being able to fulfill it. However, too often we think about discovering our purpose as a purely external activity. God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). In other words, there was a purpose in place before Jeremiah physically existed. And God knows who can and will be able to carry out each assignment.
David writes in Psalm 138:8, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” These words do not solely apply to David because God is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). He knows us well. He has formed us with intent, precision and purpose. And most importantly, He never abandons His work.
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This gives me a way to rethink this scripture. We need more explanation of this sort;it makes one think about the responsibility one has in walking this life with Christ. We are not going down the yellow brick road to see the wizard, even Dorothy had to wake up.
That’s a good way to put it. When reading scripture, context is everything!