PHILIPPIANS 4:10-13
INFUSION OF CHRIST’S STRENGTH: NO IV NECESSARY
Philippians 4:10 (NIV) I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it.
SUSIE: Paul thanks the Philippians for their support and acknowledges that previously . . .
SUSAN: . . . they had no means of getting another offering to him until the one carried by Epaphroditus. Paul gives no details on the reason for the delay.
SUSIE: It could have been that they did not have any money to send, or it could have been a lack of a courier to take the money. It’s not like they could put it in his bank via PayPal or Western Union.
SUSAN: There are times we would love to support someone’s missionary journey but have no monetary resources. This is when we beef up our ongoing intercession for them and ask the Lord to supply all their needs.
SUSIE: I am sure the church at Philippi continued to provide prayer support for Paul even when they were unable to help him financially.
Philippians 4:11-12 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be contentG842 whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
SUSIE: Paul was not in dire need of assistance but was grateful for their concern.
SUSAN: Paul is not moved or dissuaded from his mission by his circumstances.
SUSIE: We know from the book of Acts that Paul has been stoned and left for dead, shipwrecked, beaten, and much more. He says he can be content with plenty or little, hungry or well-fed. He says he has learned the “secret” of contentment which is . . .
SUSAN: . . . that his satisfaction is found in the Lord. It does not come from any other source. There is no way I can be continually content in and of my own strength. In order to live in a state of constant contentment, I must allow the grace of God to continuously flow in and through me.
G842 αὐτάρκης autárkēs, ow-tar’-kace; from G846 and G714; self-complacent, i.e. contented:—content.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
STRONGS NT 842: αὐτάρκης – αὐτάρκης [on the accent see Chandler § 705], -ες, (αὐτός, ἀρκέω), [from Aeschylus down], sufficient for oneself, strong enough or possessing enough to need no aid or support; independent of external circumstances; often in Greek writings from [Aeschylus and] Herodotus 1, 32 down. Subjectively, contented with one’s lot, with one’s means, though the slenderest: Philippians 4:11 (so Sir. 40:18; Polybius 6, 48, 7; Diogenes Laërtius 2, 24 of Socrates, αὐτάρκης καὶ σεμνός). [Cf. αὐτάρκεια.]
Thayer’s Greek Lexicon
SUSIE: Paul’s contentment, as Thayer explains above, is “independent of external circumstances.” It is not an avoidance of the storm but peace in the midst of it. As we will see in verse 15, this ability for all to be “well with my soul,” to quote a famous hymn, comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
SUSAN: Susie and I have had many opportunities to tap into this contentment in our five years as “Mother-Sister-Friends.” A month in the hospital after my leg amputations (keep in mind Susie had no job other than me at the time) gave us opportunity to trust the Lord for my health and her finances. We have had financial struggles, bed bugs (yuck!), the homegoing of many loved ones, and another hospitalization for me complete with intubation for eight days!
SUSIE: To be honest, at times my contentment was shattered because I took my eyes off Jesus and fixed them on our circumstances. However, the Lord always brought me back to that place of complete reliance on Him regardless of the turmoil around me. I am thankful that He is my anchor throughout all the storms of life.
Philippians 4:13 (NIV) I can do all this through him who gives me strength.G1743
G1743 ἐνδυναμόω endynamóō, en-doo-nam-o’-o; from G1722 and G1412; to empower:—enable, (increase in) strength(-en), be (make) strong.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
SUSIE: Someone once told me that the gist of this verse is that Jesus infuses me with His strength. This is backed up in the Amplified Version’s rendering of this verse. This would be similar to the infusion of antibiotics one gets in the hospital to fight an infection. Jesus infuses us with His power to fight the discontentment we find as we seek to serve Him in this world.
Philippians 4:13 (AMP) I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose—I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]
SUSAN: The Lord infuses us with His life, and the life is in the blood of His perfect sacrifice. When we surrender to, trust in, rely on Jesus and His finished work of redeeming us from sin on the cross, He comes into our lives in the form of His Holy Spirit. He is our contentment, our hope, and our power to live victorious lives.
Colossians 1:27 (VOICE) He decided to make known to them His blessing to the nations; the glorious riches of this mystery is the indwelling of the Anointed in you! The very hope of glory.
SUSIE: People often quote Philippians 4:13 to claim that they can do “anything” because of Christ, such as complete a marathon, get out of debt, reach a career goal, “leap tall buildings in a single bound,” etc. We need to look at the context of this verse. Paul is talking about his contentment in all circumstances while following his God-given calling to preach the Gospel. He is empowered by the strength Christ gives him to endure and continue serving the Lord. We are given what we need to complete our God-given assignments.
Philippians 4:13 (VOICE) I can be content in any and every situation through the Anointed One who is my power and strength.
Vs. 13 Paul is able to face all circumstances with contentment.
Reformation Study Bible
1 Timothy 6:6 (KJV) “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
SUSIE: How do we get hooked up for this infusion of Jesus’s power of contentment while serving Him?
SUSAN: The object of our focus is what we develop. If we are focused on Jesus, His finished work and what He has done for us, we see that His provision is greater than the obstacles we face.
SUSIE: We must keep our eyes on Jesus by being in His word daily, praying without ceasing (keep an attitude of prayer), and listening to sound, biblical teaching. We must not be like Peter who took His eyes off the Lord and instead of walking on water, began sinking like a rock (pun intended). Instead we must do as instructed in Hebrews and fix our eyes on Jesus.
Matthew 14:30 (KJV) But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
Hebrews 12:2 (NASB) fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 (VOICE) Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor.
APPLY THIS TO YOUR LIFE:
- When you cannot send financial support, continue to bathe your minister, missionary, fellow believer in prayer.
- When God enables us to send money or provisions to those in His service, we are blessed as much or more than the person receiving our offering.
- Remind yourself that the Lord’s Holy Spirit lives in you providing you contentment and hope no matter your outward circumstances
- Tap into the reality of Jesus’s strength infusing you through daily Bible study, intentional prayer, biblical instruction, and the familyship of other Christians.