Strength for All Things

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

—Philippians 4:13

At 8:15 a.m., the students began to fill the auditorium to watch the finalists in the seventh-grade public speaking contest compete for the coveted Declamation Award.

Four boys spoke that morning. The first chose a serious selection, the second a humorous one, and the third an excerpt from a famous speech. The forth boy, Charles, chose the story of David and Goliath. He took the podium and said, “The story I have chosen is from the Bible, and its theme is faith. Faith is a simple virtue—but very powerful.” And then Charles related the biblical story clearly, powerfully and with conviction.

Charles won the contest that day, but it wasn’t until afterward that the students learned just how powerful faith was, especially for Charles. You see Charles’s father had been sick for a long time with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Sadly, he’d died the night before the contest. But Charles had come to school, completed the contest impressively, and never told anyone of his tragedy, because he felt that this is what his father would have wanted. It was the faith that he spoke of that sustained him.

When we act to do God’s will, He gives us the strength to complete any task, no matter how difficult.

Today’s One Thing

Tackle that one challenge that you have been putting off with the confidence that Jesus will provide the strength that you need.

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