We Can Do All Things

When we quote the first half of Philippians 4:13, we usually put the emphasis on our self. We can do all things. We stop there, feeling rather smug with our self and overly confident in our own ability to accomplish great works for God.

We need to quote the verse in its entirety: "I can do everything, which God asks me to do, through the power of Christ in me, who gives me the ability and the strength."

This verse is actually telling us that apart from Christ, we can do nothing (John 15:5). He is the vine, we are the branches. Apart from the vine, the branch is useless and dies.

A branch bears no fruit apart from the Vine. The Vine gives us the ability and strength to produce only that fruit, which the Vinedresser predispositions us to bear (John 15:1).

God's perfect plan, orchestrated for each life, yields a beautiful symphony. We do not do works for God, but the works of God, which He called us to do before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:20).

This way we cannot take any credit for our accomplishments nor should we feel that we are incapable of obeying the Holy Spirit's direction. Christ is within every authentic Believer, every step of our life (Matthew 28:20).

God's Spirit directs and supports us in each situation, which life throws our way (Isaiah 41:10; Daniel 3:24-25). We gain our identity and power from Christ in us (Colossians 1:27).

Prayer:

Father God, we find rest for our soul - our mind, choices and emotions, when we realize that we no longer need to figure everything out and to plan for ever contingency. We rest in the realization that Jesus is our way, truth and life (John 14:6).

As we know You in a deeper relationship, Christ is also our wisdom and strength (Philippians 3:20; 1 Corinthians 1:30). We completely surrender to You and Your direction of our thoughts, words and deeds according to Your perfect will for us (Romans 12:2).

Thought for the Day:

Nothing will occur in our life, which is not already part of God's plan for us, unless we are reaping the consequences of our disobedience or self-will.

His Exact Relica

 

Our union with Christ involves our spirit, soul and body. They unite us in vision and purpose with Christ. Through this union, God expresses His heart through us in sympathy for the hardships of others, in patience in tribulation, and in devotion in Bible study, prayer and fellowship with other Saints of God. Consequently, God fulfills through us His purpose for us in the earth. In this manner, the union between the Creator and the created, the divine and the human, the eternal and the temporal is complete (Colossians 2:10).

Learning about the works of God often causes us to focus our attention outwardly. We see God on His throne in Heaven, but we see our self as struggling alone in life in need of His divine help. Some people say we are nothing but marionettes, forced to serve as the Divine Manipulator dictates. However, we are more like a glove. He exactly fills us, and we are perfectly molded and fitted to His character and nature. Then, when He moves within us, we move as His exact replica on the earth.

At times, we may also visualize Jesus walking beside us, instead of Him living within us. We fail to grasp the true picture of the finished work of Jesus within us. We focus on Christ on the cross, but we disregard the fact that the risen Lord dwells within our spirit. We clearly see that Christ redeemed us from sin by the cross; however, we forget about the fact that this same Jesus dwells within us and works out His purposes in us and instead of us.

Jesus justifies our spirit; sanctifies, inspires and directs our soul; and eventually He will glorify our body. Christ does this by using our body, soul and spirit to do His work in the earth. Jesus speaks the oracles of God through our voice (1 Peter 4:11). He heals a sick body through the laying on of our hands (Mark 1:41; 6:5; 5:3; 7:32, 33; 8:23, 25; 16:18; James 5:15). He sees a need and meets it through the resources He provides for us (1 John 3:17). He will even raise the dead, cleanse the leper and cast out devils in and instead us (Matthew 10:8).

Jesus is the expression of God’s glory and the exact image of God’s being (Hebrews 1:3). We freely receive from Him. Then, instead of us, He uses our body, soul and spirit to freely give to those in need around us (Matthew 10:8). Christ in us has limitless resources to accomplish His will for each life. We fail to access this power when we deviate from God’s will for each moment of our day. We submit our human will to Christ’s divine will, knowing that it is only through the submission of our will to His, that we can actually succeed in anything we endeavor.

Prayer:

Father God, harmony in our relationship with You increases as we live in union with Christ. This guarantees that more accord abides between our will and Your will. We soon find that our purpose is to do nothing more in life than to step aside and allow Christ to work instead of us. Your will flows from a combination of Your divine love and wisdom. You consume us with Your nature, which is the fruit of Your Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith (Galatians 5:22-23). Help us to lay down our plans and expectations and use us for Your purposes each moment of our day.

Thought for the Day:

It is only as we walk in union with Christ within us, by the direction of His Holy Spirit, that we experience the gifts and fruit of His Spirit functioning through us and making us shining stars to shed His light in the dark, lost world around us. – Colossians 1:27; Philippians 2:15