“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…”
I read today about the suicide death of Rick Warren’s son. I immediately prayed for them to really find the strength of Christ during this trying time in their lives. The fact that Rick Warren is a world-renowned pastor does not mean that he and his wife and family do not hurt like all of the rest of us. But I took heart when I realized thatt though this is a very difficult thing to deal with, they have a strength that can get them through this. I think they believe Philippians 4:13 that states: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." That leads me to ask you if you have the strength of Christ in your life? If you do have Christ in your life you have that strength if you will claim it. Which leads me to the question that I put in the title of this blog, i.e., how strong are you? I sincerely hope and pray that you do not try to go through your life going on your own strength alone. I know that I wouldn’t want to live that way. I think of the numbers of people who live in this world with no thought of God/Jesus, or who are hostile to Him, and I wonder how they make it in life. These people face the same heartaches that we face, but they have to go through them without spiritual help. I know that I don’t want to live my life that way. Are you strong enough to face all of the things that you have to face in this life? For example, if you had a life-threatening disease would you have the strength to face it without fear, and the depression that accompanies that fear? I hope that in a case like that you would turn to Jesus in prayer and trust the whole healing process to Him. If one of your children or grandchildren was facing a life-threatening situation, how would you handle it? The thought of this happening in my family brings chills up and down my spine. I do pray that we will never have to face this, but I take comfort in the fact that if we have to face something like this we will not face it alone. I know that Jesus would be there to offer His comfort. In the hard places in my life, I always run to Psalm 23:4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” This is not just a remote portion of scripture to me. It is like a life buoy out there, helping me to face all of the contingencies of life. I can answer the question that began this paragraph. No, you do not have the strength to face all of the things that you have to face in this life. Then again, neither do I. I know that I depend on Christ to get me through the difficult times of life, and I pray that you do too. Do you really believe that you can “do all things through Christ who strengthens (you)?” It’s one thing to face difficult times in life, it is another to know that you have one who can strengthen you to do whatever it is that He wants you to do. There are many fine Christians out there who are petrified if they have to do something in front of the congregation. I remember that when I preached my first sermon, the church was packed, probably with incredulous people who came to see if it was really true that I had been called to preach. Sitting in that congregation were my Mama, Daddy and my youngest brother, who knew me all too well. On top of that a lot of old friends were out there, who knew me all too well. My first grade teacher was in the congregation. I’ve got to tell you that I was thoroughly intimidated by this crowd, but I knew that I had a calling and that this was the first step, so I jumped in and took the step. I was depending on the strength of Christ to do it, not my own strength. I didn’t have the strength to do it, and I still don’t. Understand this, with Christ as your strength, you can do anything that you know that He wants you to do. One general said that “courage is fear that has said its prayers.” I have found this to be true through fifty-three years in the ministry. The great thing is that it is true for you too. Go on with your life in the strength of Christ. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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