Our passage today reminds us that we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us. Now the context of this is contentment – and contentment is one of the big hurdles of life. In these days of smartphones, tablets, super high definition TV’s and other technology that seems to change every month, how can we be content? It certainly is a hard challenge, but with God’s help, and with the proper attitude, we can be content with whatever God has given us.
Whether we are abased, or whether we abound, we need to find contentment. I think this translates into the other obstacles that we face in life. With the Lord Jesus Christ’s power and ability working through us, and our willingness to let Him work in our lives, He will strengthen us to do whatever it is that He has called us to do.
The Scripture says, I can do all things through Christ… but sometimes we do not believe that or act upon it. In Numbers 13, the people of Israel were paralyzed with fear and did not move forward. They listened to the ten spies with the report that said there was no way to conquer the land. They did not listen to Joshua and Caleb who said, “Yes, it is a challenge, but with God, it is possible.”
The sad result was that all those people, except for Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness. They had been promised the land by an all-powerful God. They were right there; all they had to do was go in and take what God had given them. Had they believed and moved forward, they would have seen God work, but they were afraid.
Christian, we can’t let this be our life story – don’t let fear keep us from the blessings that God has promised.