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Writer's picture~Kimberly Oden

I Can't, But You Can


“I can’t, but You can.” 👈🏽That’s what a friend shared with me describing the state of her heart. It captured my attention because it put simple words around the state of mine as well.💕


It’s a quote from speaker Mike Atkins highlighting what God can do through our apparent lack.


Paul writes about this in 2 Cor. 4:5-12 & reminds us why this is oh-so-good! In the beginning God said, “Let there be light in the darkness.” Y’all, I learned something new!

Paul writes. “We now have this {VERY SAME START OF THE EARTH} light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like clay jars containing this great treasure. THIS MAKES IT CLEAR that our great power is from God, not ourselves.”


As my friend & I talked, we agreed that life this side of heaven might always feel like we are being pushed outside our comfort zone & that is good! It’s good because it’s on that great precipice of “I can’t, Lord,” that we cling all the more tightly to the One who can & does shine His light though us!


Like Paul, we might feel:

👉🏽Pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed

👉🏽Perplexed, but not driven to despair

👉🏽Hunted down but never abandoned by God

THROUGH suffering our bodies continue to share in the DEATH of Jesus SO THAT the LIFE of Jesus may also be seen!


“I can’t, but He can” may not feel awesome, but it’s a humble reminder that we’ve got nothing to offer except the Light of His residing Presence.


Kinda cool, the Psalm reading for the One Year Bible today also speaks of light. David writes, “It was your right hand & strong arm & the blinding light from your face that helped them.” The warriors won the battle by “the blinding light from God’s face.” It gave me a visual of clay jar with holes that let God.s victorious light shine through.


I’m just a dark, clay jar with lots of holes...I may be ordinary & cannot light the way for myself or anyone else for that matter, but what I CAN do is let the blinding Light of Christ’s Presence shine through the holey places in my heart.


Father, thank you for trusting us with this great treasure! Use the weak & holey places of me to reveal You to a world of folks in desperate need of Light.



August 30 One Year Bible Readings

Job 34:1-36:33

2 Corinthians 4:1-12

Psalm 44:1-8

Proverbs 22:10-12


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