Oct 11, 2018

Bring It!


I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. ~ Philippians 4:13 (NASB)


James wore the number four on his varsity football jersey. Darby and Colton wore the number thirteen. This was not by accident. It represented their favorite Bible verse—Philippians 4:13.            
Applied to sports, the connotations are obvious. But the secret to understanding this verse is found one verse up in Philippians 4:12“I have learned the secret of being content.” Paul isn’t saying he can throw a football farther or run faster than those who don’t follow Jesus. 
He’s saying that no matter how hard life hits, no matter how badly life beats us, no matter how far the ball bounces the opposite way, Christ is the secret of contentment. 
Life strength is in direct correlation with personal contentment. 
Four-thirteen isn’t about how we handle our opponent in sports, but how we handle ourselves in life. 
When life takes an unexpected bounce our faith helps us scoop and score. When blindsided by unforeseen circumstances, we’ll still get up off the turf. When we fumble the ball with a poor choice, it’s faith that encourages us to fight another day. 
I can do all things,” means I can push through all things. I will work through all things. I can handle all things. I can survive all things (except death, of course). I have the resiliency to overcome attrition instead of being overcome by it because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. 
As Christ fills you with His Spirit, passion and resolve, there’s nothing too big for you and God to handle together. You, plus Jesus, is a majority. Because of Him, you can take it.

You’ve got this, whatever “this” may be. Because of Him you can look at life and say, “Bring it!”