Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
http://youtu.be/A8JsRxVczmQ - Strong Enough - Matthew West
Philippians 1: 20-23
Paul said "And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
Honestly, this life is full of disappointments. Marriages break up, friends let us down, financial struggles humble us and take away all our security, children get sick, friends die, and on and on. What can we depend on? One day, life is great and the next, everything is taken away and we feel like Job - stripped of all those things we thought were so important.
If we could just grasp that Christ is the only thing we truly need, and that HE's the one thing that can never be taken from us, can you imagine the peace we'd have? What could man do to us, if we really understood that HE is all we need?
Almighty God calls me His child. He loved me so much that He sent His Son to die for me. I'm going to spend Eternity in heaven - no more tears, no more fears, no betrayals, no more disappointments, no more pain or suffering. For all eternity! If you have access to a white board, take a marker and put a tiny little dot on the left edge of the whiteboard. Now just imagine that the dot is your life on earth. The rest of the whiteboard is just a glimpse of Eternity which is never ending. When I think about my life now as that little tiny dot in that vast space of time, my strength is renewed. Surely I can handle anything in that little tiny dot of time, and I can handle it in a way that honors God, because I have all of Eternity to look forward to.
Do we even come close to understanding how short our time is on earth compared to Eternity? I think if we did, our earthly lives would take on a whole different perspective. So much that we fret about just wouldn't matter any more. We'd be full of joy, longing for that Day when we get to wake up in Heaven.
Paul knew this life was full of meaningless junk. "Garbage", he called it. All that truly matters is belonging to Christ. If we could just understand that, we'd be shouting the good news to everyone we meet so that they, too, could spend Eternity in heaven. We'd love everyone, unconditionally, because of the prize set before us! Nothing could get us down. Nothing could still our joy!
If anyone could have been "good enough" by his own power to have righteousness, Paul says it was him. He had it all. He had honor, respect, knowledge, power, influence - all the things we humans think are so important. But Paul found something worth more than all those things. He found Jesus.
Paul left it all so that he might be one with Christ. Listen to his words: "everything else is worthless", "all garbage" when compared to the INFINITE VALUE of knowing CHRIST! Paul walked away from fame, fortune, prestige, everything!!! That should tell us something about the treasure we have in Christ.
Those days when you just feel like nothing is ever going to be okay again; when you feel like you've lost everything that gives your life meaning, remember Paul's words. It's all garbage compared to the value - the unmatchable, immeasurably great, having no boundaries Value - of knowing Christ as LORD.
If all you have left is Christ, you are rich beyond measure.
HE is the One you can always depend on no matter what comes. Depend on Him. He'll never leave you nor forsake you. He loves you more than we comprehend.
Psalm 139:7-10
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave,[you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
Philippians 3:3-11
For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more!
I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.
I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with Himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!
Honor Christ with your life. When we die, and we all will some day, the only thing we can take with us into Eternity is our inheritance that Christ has given us. His love, His Salvation, His Redemption and on yes, He gave us HIS Father. We are children of the Creator of the Universe.
What more could we ever want?
http://youtu.be/0vdLi8h-xdI - Dependence - Jamie Slocum
Thank You Jesus! You're all I need. Your love gives me hope to carry on. You are the One I can always turn to. There's nothing in this world that compares to the love I have in You. I love You, Jesus.
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