I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. —Philippians 4:13
If you haven’t checked it out yet, a must read is the New Testament Book of Acts. It tells us, in a first-hand account, what motivated Jesus’ disciples to take Jesus’ message to the world.
As you read through it you will meet a fascinating guy named Paul. His was born “Saul,” but he took the nickname “Paul,” which basically means “Shorty.”
Saul hated Christians. He did everything he could to destroy what Jesus’ followers did—even overseeing their execution.
But one day, something unexpected happened to Saul. While he was on another of his persecution missions of Jesus’ followers, he met Jesus. Literally.
I’ll let you read Paul’s story, but it changed his life.
What happened next is unexplainable, apart from the life-changing power of Christ. He went from destroying Christians to encouraging them and planting these small communities of faith all over the Roman empire.
But the persecutor became the persecuted by the very people he used to work for. Not only did he experience violent opposition from his own people but, because Christianity had became illegal in the Roman empire, he encountered opposition from the government as well.
I’ll let you read his story in the book of Acts but, just to give you a flavor of what he experienced: he was imprisoned numerous times, whipped by the religious leaders 5 different times, beaten with rods 3 times, stoned (with rocks!) and left for dead, shipwrecked 3 times—and one of those times he spent a night and a day treading water in the open Mediterranean sea. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
All of this because he followed Christ.
But here is what I love about Shorty: He kept moving forward. He kept moving ahead. He had an inexhaustible source of encouragement.
What kept him moving forward? Here is what he wrote to one of these young, fledgling communities in the city of Philippi. He said:
I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. —Philippians 4:11–13
This source of his strength is Jesus himself.
And this was his encouragement to followers of Christ. Don’t stop. Keep moving forward for the gospel. This is unstoppable.
You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.
Your Daily Encouragement 