by Jerry Senn
“I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13, NLT).
This confident statement of Paul, while shackled to a Roman guard 24/7 is pretty amazing to say the least. He wasn’t a superman. There were times when he experienced fear, questioning his own abilities. But, in context, Paul is saying I’m committed to fulfilling the mission given to me by the Lord Jesus, no matter what. The power is infused in me by Christ.
“Several years ago a visitor to the World’s Fair noticed a man, dressed in a brilliant gold suit, standing beside a hand pump. His arm was moving up and down and the water was gushing out of the pump. As he observed from a distance, the visitor said, ‘That man is really pumping that water.’ However, when he moved closer he discovered this was not a man but a dummy whose arm was tied on to the arm of the pump which was being operated by electricity. He discovered the man was not pumping the water. The water was pumping him!”
It is that way with the Christian. People may see us from a distance and say, “That man really has the power of God.” However, when they come closer they realize we are not pumping out this power of God. Instead, it is pumping us. Paul recognized the source of his power so he said, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Phil 2:13, NLT).