My future WorldRace family and I have acknowledged our
battle with discontentment in the face of our impending departure for the nations
of the world.
Philippians 4:13 says “I
can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
What an empowering confession!
In fact, this verse is commonly applied out
of context to our Christian life.
Many
use this verse as a claim that the pursuits of the Christian, aggressively or
reactionally speaking, cannot fail if done in the power of God.
While the power of Christ is sufficient and
limitless to the point of infinite possibility, this particular scripture
reference is promising no such thing.
It does, however, apply correctly to the challenge I am
facing as a WorldRacer.
The verse preceding
verse 13 says
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to
have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every
situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
The pursuit of contentment is exactly what the claim “I can
do everything through him who gives me strength” refers to.
Believe it or not, we can be content in this
time of anticipation.
But this
contentment must rightly overflow from the work of the spirit in each of our
hearts and lives.
It’s a commitment to
the moment as are unconditional love, joy and a host of other character
qualities.
