Many Christians look at Philippians 4:13 as a motivational verse to succeed in whatever they do or to become rich.
However, when we look at the verses preceding Philippians 4:13 diligently, we can recognize that the Apostle Paul didn't aim for a worldly success (like I once did) when he said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
To understand this better, we must look at Paul's situation when he wrote the letter to Philippians!
Wondering what was his situation?
Well, he wrote to the Philippians - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.", while he was in Roman imprisonment.
From a worldly view, it's clearly not a desired situation to be in jail.
But, for sure, it makes us think what he really meant by saying "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", when he was in prison?
To answer the question, we must avoid the mistake of taking a single verse and twisting it's meaning to match with our life situation. But instead, we must look into the preceding and following verses to understand the context of the verse in question.
Paul, when he said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" in Philippians 4:13, meant his situation cannot determine his happiness, as he is always happy and enjoying peace in Christ.
In the preceding verses, he thanks the Philippians for helping him in his financial need. But he also informs them that he learnt to be satisfied in Christ at heart even when being (physically) abased or abound, (or) when he is hungry or full.
It is in this context, Paul told that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him - No matter what's his life situation is, he learnt to be happy, peaceful and satisfied in Christ at heart.
From the spiritual sense, it's much more than a worldly motivational talk.
If he was living today, Paul would have said -
"whether I succeed (in the things I do) or not,
whether I'm financially rich or poor,
whether people look up to me or look down at me,
whether others understand or misunderstand me,
None of these things bother me, as I've learnt to be happy in Christ always, and my cup overflows in Him."
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