20 years ago my only son at 28 passed in an auto accident. I will never be the same but God took what would have destroyed me and helped me grow in faith through the sorrow.
2 Corinthians 12:9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Only in Christ can I appreciate the joys and overcome the trials and sorrows of this life. In Him I am capable of seeing and hearing the voice of Holy Spirit. In Him I can accomplish all that He wills in my life. In Him I can rest in His mercy. In Him I can do all things.
God is in total control we need to trust in His will and rest.
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV) "fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."
God will hold you up when you are afraid…human strength does not completely get rid of anxiety and fear. God does.
When we battle our fears, we can remember that God is still His people's true help and that His help can come in the form of His presence. Isaiah 41:10 tells us the reason to "fear not" is because God says, "I am with you."
Hebrews 13:6 says when we truly believe the promise of God's presence, "we can confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me? '" God's presence means we can pray to Him anytime (Hebrews 4:16) and bring our fears to Him, trusting He will cast them out.
We might not understand why some things happen in our lives, but we can trust that God loves us and will use everything we experience to make us more like Christ (Romans 8:28-29). When fears threaten our hearts, we can find strength in the truth that God is always with us (Isaiah 41:10; Hebrews 13:5).
God's strength means He will remain faithful (2 Timothy 2:13), He can do the impossible (Luke 1:37), and we can come to Him with our worries and fears (Philippians 4:6-7). First5
Let us begin here... We carry this capacity to honor the sacrament of the present into every encounter and relationship. This means that we honor the dignity that is reflected by God’s goodness and grace. Every encounter, every relationship, is a place to include, invite mercy, encourage, receive, heal, reconcile, repair, say thank you, pray, celebrate, refuel, and restore.
We can choose...
We can act, risk, fail, forgive.
We can redeem, offer hope, bear witness, be the light of the world. Sabbath Moments
May the light of Christ in us be evident to all those we encounter.
We worship God because we need to. But our need runs a distant second to the thoroughbred reason for worship: God deserves it. God would die for your sin before he’d let you die in your sin. What do you do with such a Savior? You lift up your gift in worship. Max Lucado
Philippians 4:11–17
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. The New King James Version
Paul testifies to the sufficiency of Christ’s strength. He is prepared to endure any circumstance in life because Christ empowers him to do so.
Paul clarifies his previous comments (Phil 4:10–16). By commending the Philippians’ gift, he is not indirectly seeking another. Rather, he is celebrating their generosity as a sign of their growing faith. Faithlife Study Bible
Content literally means “self-sufficient.” In Stoic philosophy this Greek word described a person who dispassionately accepted whatever circumstances brought. For the Greeks, this contentment came from personal sufficiency.
But for Paul true sufficiency is found in the strength of Christ.
Paul considers the relationship between himself and the Philippians to be a two-way street, with both parties actively involved in the sharing of both material and spiritual gifts. Paul has in mind in this verse the material gift that the Philippians sent to him. The Philippians’ gift was producing spiritual profit just as money deposited in a bank account accrues interest. But Paul was not as concerned with their gift as with the development in the Philippians of the spiritual ability to give. The NKJV Study Bible
The nature of true Christian sympathy, is not only to feel concern for our friends in their troubles, but to do what we can to help them.
Let us pray for patient submission and hope when we are abased; for humility and a heavenly mind when exalted. It is a special grace to have an equal temper of mind always. And in a low state not to lose our comfort in God, nor distrust his providence, nor take any wrong course for our own supply. In a prosperous condition not to be proud, or secure, or worldly. This is a harder lesson than the other; for the temptations of fulness and prosperity are more than those of affliction and want. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
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