God's Empowering Presence
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
What a verse! Take some time and think about this one. Break it down and contemplate the meaning of each word and then the meaning of those words as they are put together to make a sentence. Then, ask yourself if you believe what it is that the Apostle Paul has stated in these ten words.
I have come to love the word…grace. It is not only a word in which I find my salvation which is based upon God’s “unmerited favor” but I have also found it to be the source of God’s empowering presence in my daily life. I have come to understand that God will never call me to a situation that His grace is not able to keep me.
Let me share with you one of my favorite definitions of the word, grace. “The empowering presence of God which enables me to be all that God would have me to be and to do all that God would have me to do.”
I believe that this is what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote to the Christians in Philippi. Whatever it is God may call us to do or to be, He has graciously and generously provided the provision to do and to be. There is no lack in His provision. If there is lack it is our apprehending of His provision.
This is where faith comes in. It is by faith that one embraces the saving power of God, it is by faith that one daily apprehends the sustaining and keeping power of God.
I find it interesting that in the verse stated, Paul is simply reiterating something that Jesus told His disciples. He said, “…apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Jesus’ statement is the same as Paul’s, it’s just that one is stated in a negative tense and the other in a positive one. But in their essence the statements are identical.
God has promised His empowering presence to every believer. But the truth is that not every believer embraces the promise. My forty-three years as a pastor has allowed me to witness this fact, some Christians are getting a lot more out of their Christianity than others. Is God a respecter of persons? No, He is not, He’s a respecter of faith. And when by faith, a Christian takes hold of the promises of God, God in turn meets them with His empowering presence. My fellow believer in Christ, you and I can do all things through Him who strengthens us.