I CAN DO ALL THINGS?

I CAN DO ALL THINGS?

I have shared with you several devotionals reflecting on the topic of "I
am not but I know I AM" . . . And today in my quiet time, the Lord
reminded me of this powerful truth . . .

"Are spiritually minded people equipped with a stress exemption? Do they
ever burn out? These might sound like heretical questions. Nevertheless,
the issue is important to consider, because if we answer the question
wrongly -- in either direction -- there will be significant
consequences.

Many people with great faith assume that God gives them a special
exemption to stress, overload, and burnout. It therefore comes as a
great surprise when they, too, hit the wall. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO
ME? I MUST NOT HAVE HAD ENOUGH FAITH!

Disillusionment sets in. Then discouragement. They stop ministering.
They have no permission to tell others of their pain. What to do?
Unfortunately, they sometimes find themselves trapped in a system that
provides no comfort -- only judgment.

Overload, like influenza, is a non-sectarian pathogen; everyone gets a
part of this pain. It strikes indiscriminately. Believers and
unbelievers alike experience overload, just as they both experience the
flu when it comes to town. Christians have the same limits and
susceptibilities as everyone else.

Philippians 4:13 is a wonderful verse, where Paul writes, 'I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.' Can you fly? Can you go six
months without eating . . . Or sleeping? Neither can you live a healthy
life chronically overloaded. God did not intend this verse to represent
a negation of life balance. Jesus did not work twenty-hour ministry
days, and He did not fix every problem in Israel. Daily He simply loved
the person standing in front of Him.

Philippians 4:13 is completely true. But we need to re-understand it,
cleansed from our modern presumptive bias that God is suspending human
limits on our behalf. We cannot do 'all things,' but we can do
everything the Father has ordained for us, in the strength that Christ
provides.

As it turns out, salvation solves the lostness problem -- and that is of
incalculable value. But it does little to solve the overload problem.
This is not to say we don't have deep spiritual resources that are of
immense value. But is some ways we also have a heightened sensitivity to
the pain and brokenness of the world around us. And that often hurts
unbearably.

God had His reasons for not delivering us from this type of pain. It is
best to trust His heart in the matter." from Dr. Richard Swenson -- A
Minute of Margin -- Restoring Balance to Busy Lives.

"We give our family and ourselves an incredible gift when we make the
decision to live within God's limits. It opens the door to genuine rest
in our lives." -- Tim Kimmel

Listen to KESWICK TODAY and hear the powerful testimony of Jennifer
Sands. Her husband was the pilot of the first plane to hit the World
Trade Center. Jennifer's powerful testimony will bless your heart. You
can listen on-line @ www.americaskeswick.org.