“I can do all things through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
I have heard this verse throughout my life, primarily as a source of inspiration in sports endeavors. This verse gets used at Christian sports camps, athletic clubs, etc. I’ve quoted it for this reason, and believed it was a stand alone statement. I even had a T-shirt with the verse and the drawing of a body builder. Guilty as charged.
The red flag with our use of this verse should be the fact that we emphasis “I”. Me. So, let’s look at some personal history and some context.
The Apostle Paul went through a lot in his life, especially after his conversion. You could say that he was an expert on knowing what it meant to have plenty and to be in need. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul went through a litany of the hardships he had faced, which included being flogged, beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked.
Now, in this chapter in Philippians, Paul exhorted the believers at Philippi in their walk with the Lord. In the context of knowing what it was to be well fed or hungry or living in plenty or want, Paul shared that God gave him the strength in all circumstances. The focus was on what God had done, not on what he had done. This isn’t really about sports, but God’s strength flowing through us, whether we are doing great or are in need.
A passage that clearly uses sports as an analogy for the Christian walk:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
1 Corinthians 9:24-27