I CAN DO ALL THINGS PHILIPPIANS 4:13

Paul writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Paul does not say this in pride and arrogance but rather in humility and faith. Paul did not think that he could do all things by himself. He did think that he could do all things that he needed to do with God’s help. We need this confidence today. Many are failing to serve the Lord acceptably because they lack this confidence. Many congregations are falling far below their potential because they do not think “they can.’ Someone has said, “Success comes in cans not can’ts.”

God does not ask us to do things and then accept “I can’t.” Yet many seem to think that this phrase is a means of avoiding responsibility. When God appeared to Moses and told him that He had selected him to stand before Pharaoh and Israel, Moses replied, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?” Moses was really saying “I can’t.” Would God select someone unable to do that which He asked him to do? Surely not. Yet if Moses was unable to stand before Pharaoh and Israel, then God had selected one that was not able. In the second place, if Moses could not do that which God called upon him to do, God was unjust. Moses certainly could not refuse to do what God called upon him to do and please God. But if he could not please God, he would stand condemned. It would be unjust for God to call upon men to do that which they can not do, and then condemn them for failing to obey Him.

Notice Moses’ next excuse. He said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’” (Exodus 4:1). He is now saying I can’t accomplish anything. He thinks it will not do any good so why bother about it. We likewise may make the same mistake. We think that our abilities are so small that our efforts will not accomplish anything. Our efforts may, with God’s help, accomplish more than we ever dreamed of.

Still unable to get away from his “I can’ts,” Moses said, “I can’t talk,” (Exodus 4:11). Moses said he could not talk and was arguing with God when he said it. What foolishness to argue with God and say, “I can’t talk.” Moses could argue with God but could not talk to Pharaoh. We likewise appear foolish and inconsistent to God with our feeble excuses.

Our “I can’ts” usually mean, “Let someone else do it,” (Exodus 4:13). Moses’ “I can’t” caused the anger of the Lord to be kindled against him. “I can’t” very seldom means we do not want the task accomplished. It simply means we want someone else to do it. Teach a class? I can’t, let someone else do it. Chaperone a youth trip? I can’t, let someone else do it. Study the Bible with someone. I can’t, let someone else do it. Visit someone who is physically or spiritually sick? I can’t, let someone else do it. Am I prepared to accept the responsibility of letting someone else do what the Lord asks me to do? I should be far more afraid of not at least trying to do what the Lord wants done, than I am afraid of failure. Instead of saying, “I can’t,” let us say, “I can’t afford not to.”
--Lamar

FATHERS

Several years ago, a book entitled Fatherless America was written by David Blankenhorn. The author emphasizes the vital role fathers play in the development of children. He wrote, “Kids need fathers who are strong family leaders. Their OWN fathers. In their own homes, in partnership with moms. And that’s that.” He found four basic qualities of a good father. A good father is a provider, protector, sponsor, and nurturer. God speaks of each quality in His word.

A good father is a provider. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 5:8, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” I am sure every generation has had some fathers who take this to an extreme. We want our children to have it better than we did. Many children today have every toy, electronic device, and gadget possible. Fathers are so busy giving their children things instead of giving themselves. That is a problem. However, it is a biblical truth that a good father must provide for the physical, material needs of his children.

A good father is a protector. Blankenhorn saw this as extending beyond the physical to preparing “his child for an increasingly uncertain future.” This sounds similar to God’s statement about Abraham in Genesis 18:19: “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” Whether you are speaking physically, emotionally, or spiritually, it is important that children know they have a father who will protect them from danger.

A good father is a sponsor. Blankenhorn defines a sponsor as one who “transmits character and competence” while teaching the child a way of life. The wise man writes in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.” When I attended Freed-Hardeman, their motto was “Teaching how to live and how to make a living.” In Jewish society it was said that if a man did not teach his son a trade he taught him to steal. In today’s world, we do not see many children follow in their father’s footsteps, but it is important that he teach them the principle of work. Also, it is important that fathers instill in their children a sense of right and wrong, a sense of character.

A good father is a nurturer. “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4). The King James says “nurture and admonition.” Nurture is defined as “to promote the development of by providing nourishment, support, encouragement during the stages of growth.” Again, there is a physical application, but more importantly, a spiritual one. A good father will provide spiritual nourishment and training so his children can be fruitful, productive Christians.
--Lamar