Daily Devotions for Caregivers

Caregiving is one of the hardest things I've ever done; and I've done a lot of "above average" things. I have started and ran my own freelance business, taught junior high math, hiked 10 mile wilderness trails and run a marathon. I also got rid of all my stuff at one point and picked up and moved half way across the country all by myself to stay with people I had never met. But as I read this familiar scripture one more time, it didn't seem to fit exactly like it did before. In Philippians 4:13 Paul says I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  Paul wrote it while sitting in jail. He wrote it to encourage the Philippians. What did he really mean? If we look at it contextually, it might not mean what we thought. We've used it for every tight spot in life and for an encouragement to get things done that we thought we couldn't do. While that might not be a bad thing, it doesn't seem to be the context of the verse. Looking at the enti

If you've been exposed to church circles for any amount of time perhaps you've heard this scripture thrown around a lot. We see it on facebook posts and on various sites. WE tend to use it to talk ourselves through to victory - and its application is broad. I am not sure we understand it in context though.  A quick look at the preceding verses lets us see some of the apostle Paul's heart. He states in these verses that he had learned to be content  in whatever circumstances he found himself in. Although he gives very little detail, he says that whether he had plenty or had little it was enough. He also says that he was content whether his stomach was empty or full... and that these extremes were manageable because Christ in him gave him strength to face each situation.  The context of Phil. 4:13 is not just taking a dive off the positive side of things and trying to make every thing into a facade of ease. But rather it is saying that there's no room to stress; if th