I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. - Philippians 4:12 –13 (ESV)

Some verses seem to get memorialized. They end up on plaques and mugs. They become phrases and mottos. Unfortunately, most of them get severed from their context which endangers their true meaning and interrupts their true power.

One of those verses is Philippian 4:13. I like to call it the Kool-Aid man verse. Remember him. He was the big, giant pitcher with a face that would bust through walls to serve kids that red sugary goodness. Many people read Phil 4:13 and think they too can be the Kool-aid man, busting through walls both figuratively and actually with God's empowerment. (OH YEAH!) But is that what it means?

As Paul closes out the letter, he pens a brief thank you. He calls on God's strengthening grace for a very specific need. It's a need that very relevant today and one that requires God's strengthening grace. Take a few minutes and read through Philippians 4 to discover it.