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Suggested Reading for Today ~ Philippians 4.10-20.
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For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
*Philippians 4.13 (NLT)
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A husband died, and his surviving wife and mother of their several children held down four jobs to care for the family. One of the boys, Johnny, wanted to play football. Everyone thought he was too slow and too little. He got a job in construction, but he kept trying to join a football team. For months he asked the Baltimore Colts to grant him a contract. Finally, the team hired Johnny.
Johnny Unitas holds the record for the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass: forty-seven. He was named "The Greatest Quarterback of all Time" and the quarterback on the "All-Century Team." He threw for over forty thousand yards in his seventeen years with the Colts, and he led the team to three National Football League championships. Johnny was later induced into the Pro Hall of Fame, and is rightly known as "The Golden Arm."
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The apostle Paul learned to trust the Divine Sufficiency in the most diverse of circumstances. Philippians 4.13 can read: "Christ gives me the strength to face anything" (CEV). The Amplified Bible has another excellent rendition: "I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me."
The Authorized Version has, in Philippians 4.13, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." The Stoics used the Greek word for "content" for self-sufficiency. So, a very good rendition is: "I am self-sufficient in union with Christ, Who is Sufficient in me."
That Paul mentions "through" or "in Christ" he can adapt to all situations and in that union he experiences sufficiency, means that his focused, calm assurance is based on union with Christ over time. He does not attribute his calmness, confidence, fortitude, and patience to anything inherent to his character, or a mere self-generated willpower.
Like Johnny Unitas and Paul, we are called to persevere in our goals to become what Christ wants us to become. In union with Christ, there is no giving up, though there may be setbacks or necessary changes in direction. Yet, we do not have to carry the load alone, and we do not have to self-generate the inner or outer conditions for the Divine Will to be fulfilled in and through us. The key to your life is not what you can do, but what you with Christ can see done in and through you.
Are you facing any situation wherein you need to surrender more to what Christ can give you and do in and through you?
Do you recall a time in your life when Christ worked in your life in a surprising way, but only after you surrendered the situation to Him? Explain what that was like for you.
How does the Scripture and writing for today apply to churches?
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*OneLife has been a free offering and has not asked for donations or fees. However, charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in the continuance of his work of ministry. For contributions, contact Brian through the Inquiry below.
*Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers, or through the Cokesbury on-line store, at www.cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his two beloved dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Southwest Florida. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons, along with empathic relating with other world religions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
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