Philippians 4:13

I couldn’t be more excited to introduce you to the 1st guest blogger this week. He’s a pretty special guy in my life, in fact He has literally been with me through every step of learning to live with an ovarian cancer diagnosis. We have been in the parenting trenches together for 26 years, and he has more compassion and love for others than anyone I know. He is an intelligent man who loves Jesus and loves his family. Some call him Ben, 6 call him daddy, I call him best friend and the love of my life. This weeks guest blogger is none other than my sweet hubby-Ben Agee. He has some great insight into our scripture for the week.

Read on . . .

Philippians 4:13 has been my favorite Bible verse for a long time, though the reason changes as I grow in Christ. Who wouldn’t want to have the power to accomplish anything we want because we are in Christ and he gives us the strength to do it? Well, that sounds amazing, but that isn’t what this verse says.

My personality is a take charge type of personality — put a problem in front of me and I naturally take charge to do everything I can to solve the problem. This verse has served as a reminder to me that it is not I who can do all things, but rather Christ who works through me. In other words, I couldn’t accomplish anything I wanted unless my desires lined up with the will of God and in those cases I was able to accomplish it as Christ gave me the strength. Maybe you are like me and need the humility of the reminder that you can only do what Christ does to work through you. Or maybe you are on the opposite end of the spectrum and easily get discouraged and the verse serves as a reminder to you that you CAN accomplish what God has tasked you with because he gives you strength. Either way, these things are true and this verse serves as a great reminder of those truths, BUT it still isn’t what this verse says when you look at it in its proper context.

11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 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. 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. [Phl 4:11-14 NKJV]

If Philippians 4:13 meant that Paul could do ALL things then why did he have to learn how to be content? Why would Paul know how to be abased (low, beat down). Why would Paul know how to be hungry or to suffer need? Some believe that this verse teaches that if you have enough faith you will not be poor or sick and will never suffer. Can we have faith greater than Paul who was an apostle and wrote more books in the New Testament than any other single author? Can we have faith greater than Christ, who was perfect yet suffered greatly before he was crucified on a cross?

What are the “all things” referenced in Philippians 4:13? Paul was saying, I can “do” humble living (abased), I can “do” having abundance (abound), I can “do” being hungry, I can “do” being full, I can “do” suffering need. I can do any of these things because Christ knows my pain and suffering first hand and he identifies with me and he walks through it with me and he has the power to pull me through. He has the power to change the circumstances if he chooses and he has the power to change me in the circumstance to become more like him. Christ gives me the strength to go through anything and everything life throws at me. He doesn’t always remove me from those circumstance, but rather uses those circumstances to grow me.

I began drafting this post on January 3 — the morning we all woke up and learned that we may very well be on the edge of WW III. Are you anxious about how the world will respond to the U.S. bombing the Iranian leaders that had attacked our embassy in Iraq? Maybe you are approaching retirement and have looked at your 401(k) and you have begun to stress about how you will provide for yourself in retirement. Maybe you have a wayward child that causes you stress and you don’t know how you are going to deal with it. Maybe you have recently lost a job or you have a job that is uncertain. Maybe you cannot see how you are going to pay your bills or pay for medical care or buy food or clothes. Maybe you have been given the diagnosis of cancer and don’t know what that means for your future. We all have circumstances in our lives that we don’t like and would change if we could. Paul tells us to have faith….. not faith that God will remove the circumstances, but faith that Christ will walk through those circumstances with you and you will be able to come out the other side having become more of what God wants you to be.

So what is the reason that Philippians 4:13 is my favorite verse now? It is because I have experienced first hand some of what Paul says are the “all things” we can do and it has made me a better person and closer to God. I have experienced having an awesome job that I loved and it provided abundance for our family. I have experienced living on the mission field dependent on the generosity of others to meet our needs. I have experienced having great health and I have experienced the literal life and death uncertainty of my beloved wife being diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian cancer. I have experienced God performing some amazing miracles to extend her life here in this world and I have experienced the diagnosis of a relapse that according to medical experts “cannot be cured”. Through all of this God has shown me that it isn’t having faith that God will heal that is important — it is having faith in God that is important — having the faith to know that even when things look bleak he has it all under his control; having the faith to know that God loves me perfectly and unconditionally and he “will fulfill his purpose for me” (Psalm 138:8) because it is based on the works of his hands and not on how much faith I have for what I want to happen.

So you too can “do” your circumstance. You can do it because Christ is with you and strengthens you to do it with his power. James writes,

“2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. [Jas 1:2-4 NKJV]

I don’t know about you, but ultimately I want to be “perfect and complete” more than I want my circumstances changed. I didn’t start out here and I have a lot more to learn and a lot more growing to do, but God has grown me to understand this one thing.

Ben