TUESDAY January 23rd
Philippians 4:13
‘I can do all things through him who strengthens me.’
In our last devotion, we recalled how the Lord had responded to Paul when he had called out for help, telling him that his grace was sufficient for him and that through Paul’s weakness the power of God would be made perfect. It reminds me of the verse that I have shared with us for 2024, that it is not by (our) might, nor by (our) power but by my Spirit says the Lord. God’s power was going to be made available to Paul, evident by the special provision of grace that was going to be made available to him.
In our verse today, Paul recognises the provision of supernatural power or strength that God gives to him. He is acknowledging that of himself he could do very little, but through the strength that God gives to him he can do all things.
Now, I think that the ‘all things’ that Paul is referring to here is specifically regarding to that which God has called him to do in his divine purpose. Remember when he was converted the mission that he was given was to ‘be a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name’, Acts 9:15-16.
To fulfil this mission was going to require supernatural strength and energy, looking backward from this point in Philippians 4, Paul could see that he could never have and never would have been able to do all that he had so far done in his own strength, and he would not and could not continue in his own strength, he had needed and would continue to need supernatural strength, he would need the power of God, the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to strengthen him.
As a local Church in Gateshead (or wherever you may be as one who reads these devotions) may we learn, or grasp the reality of our own present situation, that we cannot move forward in God’s purposes with our own strength, nor of our own power, but only by his Spirit and by the strength that comes through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit.
I need the strengthening of the Holy Spirit in, upon and through my life and my ministry, and so do we all. May we seek a fresh empowering, a fresh anointing, a fresh renewal of supernatural power to strengthen us in our ministries and mission for the Lord Jesus Christ so that through him, as he strengthens us we can do all that he wants and needs us to do.
Let us make sure that we do not become self-sufficient, but grace-dependent, for it is through our weakness that God’s power is made perfect.