Faith and Food Blog

Key Verse: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” -Philippians 4:13 (English Standard Version)

Philippians 4:13 is up there in the top 5 most popular Bible verses of all time. You often see people wearing it on clothes at the gym, people put it frequently in their Instagram bios, or people use it in their sermons often.

But what if I told you that SOOOOO many people are misinterpreting this verse, and the real context behind it is much more profound?

To give a bit of background: the book of Philippians is a letter that was written by Paul, the author of most of the New Testament books and a former Pharisee (a Jewish leader of religious law who were well-known for adhering strictly to Jewish law), who for a bit of time, had the job of killing Christians during the 1st century A.D. During the book of Acts, it is revealed that on the road to Damascus, Paul had an encounter with the risen Jesus Christ, which caused Him to be a leader and an Apostle of the Christian faith. He went on to write a majority of the New Testament books.

The letter that he wrote to the Philippians was written to the Christians that were living in the Roman colony of Philippi, which is in modern-day Greece. One big note for this letter: Paul wrote this while he was locked up in jail.

Yet, despite this fact, this book has the overarching theme of encouragement, and is often regarded as the most joyful book in the Bible.

When we begin to closely examine Chapter 4 of this letter, we see that Paul encourages Christians to stand firm in the Lord, maintain unity, and find joy through prayer rather than anxiety.

When you read verse 13, which was listed at the top of the article, it’s easy to think that God promises limitless personal success, athletic victory, or achieving selfish ambitions.

Instead, to fully understand, let’s take a look at the two verses right before this, which say “11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

As you can see from this, Paul know what it’s like to have be blessed abundantly and also be in need. Yet, through all of this, he learned the practice of contentment. And it is by the grace of God that we are able to be thankful in our circumstances. God was with Paul in his valleys and on his hills, and through every trial and tribulation that he went through, God gave him the strength to come out the other end.

And that’s exactly what He can do for you.

No matter what you are facing today, God will give you the strength to be thankful through it all, and to be content with what God has been so gracious to give us.

Comment below your thoughts: what ways can you practice gratitude?