Starting a new year is easy, and hard. Ever present in our minds is the desire to change, to better ourselves, to put into practice the lessons we learned during the previous year. Most times, we fail. This is not because we are setting too high of a standard, but because we are relying on our own understanding. God does not make wannabe’s. His children can accomplish great feats, they should be known by the quality of their work, the righteousness of their actions, their mercy, their love, their purity, their honesty. We as His children should excel–because our actions represent our Father.
No, our standards are not too high–rather, our methods of attaining those standards are colored by a mode of thought that is foreign to the Kingdom of God. In America, we believe that a man (or woman) must prove himself by his ability to accomplish things alone. While individuality is not worthless (if all parts of the body were a toe…etc), Christians are members of the body of Christ. As such, Jesus is part of each of us–He is in everything we do and say, at least He should be. He is an integral part of us, He is included in our individuality.
When Paul states “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” he is not merely being pious, or allegorical, or alluding to a strictly spiritual accomplishment. He is stating that he can do ALL things through Christ. It takes faith to believe that this is not a limited statement. All means all whether it is written in Ancient Greek or modern English. I, Paul, You can do ALL things through Christ.
That is not to say that ALL things are worth doing, but if you are operating in Christ, then everything you do will be worth doing, because it will be guided by him.
Yassus
Courtney
