In his book The Business of Heaven, C. S. Lewis wrote, “At first it is natural for a baby to take its mother’s milk without knowing its mother. It is equally natural for us to see the man who helps us without seeing Christ behind him. But we must not remain babies. We must go on to recognize the real Giver. It is madness not to. Because, if we do not, we shall be relying on human beings. And that is going to let us down. The best of them will make mistakes; all of them will die. We must be thankful to all the people who helped us. We must honor and love them. But never, never pin your whole faith on any human being.”
I once read about a distraught Christian woman who was extremely upset because her children had become unruly. She telephoned her husband at work one day and tearfully described the visit of a friend who had pinned this verse above the kitchen sink: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” . The friend had meant well. She was trying to be helpful, but her action just made the mom feel even more like a failure.
Sometimes it’s not helpful merely to quote a Scripture verse to someone. What was really powerful was Paul’s personal testimony that he had learned to be content in all situations, in plenty and in want. His secret of contentment was that he could “do all things through Christ” who strengthened him.
We too can live by Paul’s secret. We can be victorious through Christ’s strength, correctly handling the word of truth.
