Live Free with Josh Howerton - The Most Misinterpreted Bible Verse Ever | Ep. 396 Monday, Aug 12, 2024

Episode Date: August 12, 2024

Paul is saying your heart can be satisfied whether you have much or little, whether you have achieved your goals or not, and whether things seem to be going well or not. Philippians 4:13 speaks primarily of how, with Christ, your heart can find contentment, satisfaction, and confidence regardless of your circumstances. Contentment doesn’t come when you have everything you want; it comes when you realize that in Christ, you have everything you need. Philippians 4:11-13 (NTV), Paul says this: “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” For more information, visit lakepointe.church/dailydrive

Thanks for tuning in to today's Daily Drive with Lake Point Church, a daily dose of God's word for your morning drive. When the word, not the world, becomes the majority of your week, your life will start to change. For that reason, our prayer is that God will speak to you through today's devotional. For more digital content to feed your faith, visit lakepoint.combe.com slash daily drive. And now let's dive in to today's devotional. Well, hey guys, welcome to our daily drive. If we haven't met, my name is Carlos, and I get to be a part of the pastoral team here at Lake Point. And we get to hang out this week for a few minutes every day as we dive into the Word of God.

And let me start by sharing this story to help us lay out a foundation for what we're going to be doing this week in the Daily Drive. There was this person who once wanted to know the will of God for his life. So what he did was he took his Bible and he said, man, I'm just going to open this book. and God, wherever my finger lands, that's going to be your word for me. And so he opened his Bible and landed on Matthew 27, 5, and then he read, then Judas went and hung himself. And then he said, wait a minute, wait a minute, let me try that again. Then he skimmed through it and landed on Luke 1037 that says, go and do likewise.

And then he's like, okay, okay, just to be sure, let me try that one more time. And he did and landed on John 1327 that says, what you're about to. to do, do it quickly. And I start there because when you and I read the Bible, context matters. So what we're doing this week is we're going to be talking about some of the most famous Bible verses that are most commonly taken out of context or misunderstood. And we'll review what most people think they're about. Then we'll clarify what they're actually about. And as we do so, I believe God's going to speak to us in a unique way through them so that this week you and I can be continued to be formed to the image of Jesus. And so today we're going to read one of the most famous Bible passages in history.

And at the same time, one of the most misunderstood passages and most often taken out of context. And that is Philippians chapter 4 verse 13 that says this, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Now, everybody has heard this verse. Everybody has seen this verse. Some of us have even memorized this verse. And the Golden State Warrior NBA superstar Steph Curry released a shoe with Under Armour some time ago with the phrase, I can do all things based on this same verse. And when asked about it, he said, man, this is my mantra.

This is what I lived by and something that drives me every single day. And then he said it will hopefully inspire people to find something that drives them, whether that's a verse or some other motivating force that keeps you hungry and keeps you driven. Now, let me just take a moment and start by saying this. Number one, Steph Curry is an amazing player and I have nothing but respect for him. And I appreciate him being open and bold about his faith in Christ. Number two, yes, it is true. Christ gives you strength.

Number three, yes, it is true. God empowers the Christian with the Holy Spirit to achieve those things that would be otherwise impossible for you and I to achieve. And he should drive you to seek greatness the way Jesus defines greatness, to be who God has called you to be and to fulfill the purpose he has given you. Having said that, if you read the context of this verse, you will find what the writer of this verse, the Apostle Paul is actually talking about. So let me back up just a little bit and read Philippians chapter 4, verse 11 to 13. Paul says this, not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. for I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.

Now, this verse speaks primarily of how with Christ your heart can find contentment, satisfaction, and confidence regardless of your circumstances. And what Paul does as the older pastor that he is throughout Scripture, he's coaching us and posturing our hearts to have contentment in Christ. This is why he also writes in 1st Timothy, chapter 6, verse 6, verse 6 to 8, he says, but godliness with contentment is great gain. And then he says, for we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

What is Paul saying here? He's saying, listen, today your heart can be satisfied even if you have much or little, even if you've achieved your goals or not. even if things seem to be going well or not. Listen, contentment isn't when you have everything you want. It's when you realize that in Christ you have everything you need. Contentment in Christ is when by His grace you experience joy and peace and fullness, even when we don't have what we want.

The truth is we live in a culture that is always discontent with how much status we have, Always discontent with how much popularity we've achieved, how much money and success we possess, how much personal advancement we've accomplished, we're obsessed with how much comfort and ease we can get. And so what we do is we strive for more, bigger, better, faster, stronger, and oftentimes this influence creeps into those who follow Jesus and it leaves us exhausted. Have you ever lost your keys at home? This happens, by the way, all the time with my wife. She's very organized and I'm not.

And so sometimes she'll move things around to keep our home tidy and organized. And sometimes I feel like I'm looking for things that I left in one place. But I think my wife put it somewhere else. And it's not uncommon for me to say, hey, dear, did you move my keys? I left my phone in the kitchen, but now it's not there anymore. By the way, did you see my wallet? And very often I find myself looking for my keys or my keys. wallet or my phone and it takes me a minute to realize I had it in my own pocket the

whole time and then there's been times where I've been looking for something and I have a commitment and I got to go and I'm kind of in a hurry and maybe I was looking for my phone and it turns out I had it in my hand the whole time. Sometimes that's what happens with those of us who follow Jesus. Listen you have the presence of God with you. You have the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. You have Christ living through you. You have the grace that you need to be faithful to him today. You have the strength that you need to make it through your situation. In Christ, you can be content today because in him you have the confidence, you have the boldness, the hope, the joy, and the peace that you need because the presence of God is with you.

We'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in today. For more biblical teaching and worship, join us for our church online live weekend services on Saturdays and Sundays. For more information about all the digital ministries of Lake Point, visit lakepoint.church slash daily drive. Also, if this podcast was helpful to you, would you be sure to rate, review, and share this podcast to help get the word out.