Great Strength

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

When Jesus calls us, He does not offer a sample platter of Kingdom offerings. He grants His grace without measure to everyone who answers His call. It is important to remember, though, that He also asks us for everything. Grace is God’s free gift to those who know how bankrupt they truly are.

The popular term “hitting bottom” is an apt description of those who respond to the actual invitation of Jesus. Those who are broken by their own sin and the sin of the world around them often see how far off-course running their own life has taken them. The sad thing is that each of us is in the same “bottom” place. Those who have “lost” their position in this world are simply in a better position to actually see it.

The question occurs to me, “If we can, indeed, do all things through Him who strengthens us, why are so many Christians living as if that strength is unavailable?” As with anything pertaining to both God and human nature, the answers may be as varied as the individuals involved. But, can I suggest that sometime the answer is fairly simple: we want to “do all things” but forget the part that says “through Him.”

We want to remain masters of our own realm. We want to be spiritual capable without appearing to be personally weak. We cannot bear the thought that, in the end, we are more in need of God’s strength than a newborn is of its parents’ provision. Imagine a newborn with the capability of adult thought, but still having the complete immaturity of a dependant baby of just a few days. Imagine that child saying, “I don’t need parents. I am capable. I can feed myself, bathe myself, and dress myself.”

Now imagine the parents taking the newborn up on its fantasy. Within a day, lying in its crib, soiled, hungry, and naked, it still cries within, “I know I can do it myself!” That come close to how we respond to God. We might even do the young child one better by admitting we need God’s help, but still trying to do it all on our own. Both the baby and the adult before God fail. Not because they are “bad”, but because they are incapable.

To me, that is a description of what Scripture calls “sin”. Sin is not the inability to do certain things, it is the insistence that I can do all things on my own, resisting, and sometimes resenting God’s invitation to empower us for the life He offers. We refuse to accept the assessment that “all have sinned”. We do not like to ehar Jesus’ words telling us that, to follow Him, we must die to ourselves. So, we settle for looking religious, but toughing it all out on our own.

The problem with this is we either become a grumpy Christian trying to “look” spiritual. We pray loud, quote Scripture often, but our inner life is a mess. And it shows, believe me, it shows. Unwilling to be vulnerable before people or God, these Christians are a mere shell with little joy within.

If not the grumpy super-Christian, we become the weak, always needy one, who, unwilling to give up control to Christ, complains of the powerlessness we experience. These believers, instead of puffing themselves up, find every reason they are unable to follow Christ or His commands. This is what is behind so many believers today who decide to live together outside of marriage. “We couldn’t make it financially living apart.” In other words, God can’t help them “do all things” through the strength He provides.

But then there are Christians who, like Paul, have learned through patient trust and painful experiences that, setting self aside, we can actually know power beyond our imagination as we rely upon Christ within us. These are Christians who are learning that admitting we are “dead” is ok, because corpses have no value except to the gravedigger. Jesus promises abundant life to those who give up trying to do it on their own. He promises divine enablement to those who are learning to let holy compassion flow from within.

There is abundant strength from God Himself to those who will throw off the constraints of “appearance” and, admit they are not simply weak, but actually dead when it comes to accomplishing what matters for God’s kingdom. There is glorious ability to go through the darkest valleys for those who say, “Though I do not understand, I will obey. I will put aside the yearnings that direct me away from Your best, and trust You to do what You have promised.”

Have you missed out on the sort of strength God promises? What if we were willing to let Jesus in to dismantle our religious structure within, and let our brokenness show through? What if we were willing to say “Yes” to all He commands, even though it appears strange to those looking on?

For me, there is nothing sweeter than Jesus Himself. I can say with Paul that I truly have not arrived, but there is one thing I do…probably not nearly as well as Paul. I desire, with singleness of heart, for the “one thing” of total dependence on Him to make room for His mighty strength. And, included in the dependence is absolute obedience to Him whose will is always good, always right, and always for the best. There is, in Him, strength to indeed, do all things.