For many, each month is a paycheck-to-paycheck kind of survival. A lack of money often serves as a wonderful time to put our faith in Christ to provide what we need. We learn the value of prayer because we are in a place where we must accept that, without God, we can simply do nothing else. Perhaps you have the faith to live with just enough, but do you have the faith to prosper?
That famous verse
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
If the 90s can be marked by John 3:16 appearing everywhere, then the last two decades can easily be marked by the popularity of this verse. We use it to pump ourselves up for competition, to give ourselves confidence before a job interview, and look to it when our lives seem to crumble around us.
When it comes to money, we use this as a reminder to be content in the moment. We find comfort in knowing that one day, Christ will pull us out of our poverty and fill our lives with His promises. We find empowerment in knowing that through Christ, we can do it.
Of course, it’s always important to see what’s going on around a single verse so that we can know why something is being said. So why is Paul saying this?
That famous verse, unabridged
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:12-13)
If we’re honest, this verse has little to do with winning a sporting event. Paul isn’t psyching himself up to succeed in his business or land a high-paying job. What this famous verse does seem to be saying, however, is that we can survive suffering and poverty through the power of Christ.
So perhaps this verse isn’t as misunderstood as we think. After all, some of the most famous preachers of our modern times often talk about how, through Christ, we can overcome poverty. As children of the king, we’re told we are meant to live in splendor, not squalor. And through Christ, we can have that.
Philippians seems to agree. Paul appears to assure us that we can survive poverty and sickness, that we can overcome these terrible things. If the power of Christ fills us like it filled Paul, then we can trust that we aren’t meant to suffer, but to prosper.
As long as we have enough faith, we too can be rich. We can let God’s blessings shower down on us. Today, if we live by faith, we can have the best life God wants for us.
Right?
That famous verse, revisited
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)
Brothers and sisters, we have misunderstood the role of poverty and wealth in our lives. We so often look at our lives and say
- If I had more money, I’d be content.
- God, please show me your blessing and help me land this account
- I know God will give me the desires of my heart if I just have enough faith
Our entire outlook is based around one core idea: God blesses us by giving us what we desire. We even use Philippians 4:13 to tell ourselves that Christ wants us to get out of the curse of poverty.
Yet look at what Paul is actually saying here. He starts off by saying that he’s learned to be content in all circumstances. He then concludes by saying he can experience his list of experiences without sin because of his faith and reliance on Jesus Christ.
Paul cannot be in poverty and glorify Christ under his own power. He can let the anxiety and hopelessness of being poor and hungry cause him to drift away from his Almighty God. It’s only through Christ that he can be content in poverty.
Yet in the same breath, he gives wealth and abundance the exact same weight as poverty and need. Paul has learned to live by faith so that he can have the world’s idea of a “good life” without compromising the fact that he’s a slave to Jesus Christ. He could let the distraction and self-reliance of prosperity cause him to drift away from his Almighty God. It’s only through Christ that he can be content in abundance.
In other words, Christ is enough for Paul. Everything else is just background noise to his primary task of living a life in pursuit of his Savior. Without satisfaction in Christ, poverty and wealth are equally dangerous for the Christian life.
Do you have enough faith to be rich?
Philippians 4:13 has nothing to do with our victory, but it has everything to do with Christ’s ultimate sufficiency. He is enough for us to live by faith when our situation seems dim. He is enough for us to live without distraction or idolatry when everything seems to be going well for us.
God has given many of us the faith to live in need. We’ve learned to be content with what we have, and what we don’t, because we see that Christ is worth more. However, it can be so tempting to think “If I had more money or better health, then I’d really be content.”
Let Philippians 4:11-13 serve as our constant reminder that we will never be content. It takes just as much faith to serve Christ in poverty and suffering as it does in prosperity. Perhaps it takes even more faith because, in prosperity, we are often given everything our idolatrous hearts desire. We become content, not with Christ, but with our false joys that are always one moment away from failing us.
Praise God that He knows our hearts. Praise God that He knows many of us cannot walk by faith while wearing designer shoes. God is good enough to give us everything we need in Christ. Yet He’s also good enough to rarely give us what our sinful, greedy, idolatrous hearts think they need.
Remember that Christ is not our means of getting what we want. What we want so easily becomes a false god to us, killing our faith in the one who matters most. Instead, Jesus Christ is everything we could possibly need.
