Philippians 4:13
For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Last week I had one of those “what-have-I-gotten-myself-into” moments that we all have occasionally. I discovered that my cousin’s in-laws were coming to Arkansas from Indiana and Tennessee for his wife’s funeral… 20-25 of them or better. I asked my cousin if he needed any food while they were visiting. He sent word that they could use meals for Friday night, Saturday breakfast, and Saturday evening… and possibly Sunday. I had some organizing to do! So I went over to my mom’s house, and she and I sat down and made a menu for three meals… dinner Friday night, breakfast Saturday morning, and dinner again Saturday evening. That wasn’t everything the family had asked for, but it was a good start!
We made a list of people we felt would want to help, and we got out the telephone directory and began calling them. The first half dozen calls we made were unanswered. We made a plan to “divide and conquer” the list, and I headed for the grocery store. Before I left, I told my mom, “I’m not worried about this… I’ve done it before, and we always have a ‘fish and five loaves’ situation. We’ll probably end up with more than enough. I know we will be okay.” On the way to the store, I prayed that God would make it so. And he did!
By Thursday morning, we had so much food coming that we had to scale back and ask some people to provide drinks, ice and paper goods instead. As people began to drop by with desserts, bread and sandwich meat, we reduced the amount of those items on our list. Then the church that hosted the funeral decided to provide the family with an after-service meal… and the family made plans to return home Saturday evening. So we started thinking in terms of what to do with leftovers!
Just as I predicted, God provided more than enough physical sustenance for this family. As He provided for their nourishment and bodily strength, He showed me once again that I can do anything with His help. And whether you are organizing a food committee for a bereaved family or planning a move to another city, God can handle it for you. If you need to overcome an addiction or lose a few pounds, God will give you the strength to do so. When you are grieving, sick, frustrated, frightened, or stressed out over something happy and fun… call on God to meet all of your needs – and He will gladly answer!
This is one of my favorite scriptures, because truly the message of Jesus Christ is fully encompassed. I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength… who died for my sins and took them upon Himself. I can do everything through Christ, who loves me in ways I cannot begin to understand and gives me strength to love others in ways that seem daunting, if not impossible. I can do everything through Christ, who sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in me and be my constant companion until He calls me home to live forever in His glorious presence! Nothing is impossible because of Jesus!
When I have a “what-have-I-gotten-myself-into” moment, I’m learning to remind myself of this… to say, “Okay, LORD, buckle Your seatbelt! It may be a bumpy ride, but if You will drive, I know we will get there in one piece!” I am learning to operate in HIS strength – and believe that all things are possible. Can you say the same?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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