God Is AbleSample

God Is Able to Subdue All Things

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” (Philippians 3:20–21)

In his epic poem Paradise Lost, John Milton retold the story of the creation of the world and the fall of man. He described Satan’s attitude this way:

Here we may reign secure, and in my choyce
To reign is worth ambition though in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heav’n.

Those words capture the very heart of rebellion, the desire to rule rather than submit. That spirit of rebellion began when Satan refused to remain under God’s authority. “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…” (Isaiah 14:13). And since the fall of man, that same attitude has marked much of humanity. People reject God’s right to rule their lives. They resist His truth. They seek freedom not through submission to Christ, but through independence from Him.

But Scripture makes it clear that this rebellion will not last forever. God’s plan has never been threatened, and His authority has never been diminished. “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet…” (Hebrews 2:8). Though we do not yet see all things visibly under Christ’s rule, we do see Jesus, crucified, risen, and now crowned with glory and honour (Hebrews 2:9). His victory is already secured.

And for His own children, God has given a glorious promise. Christ is not only subduing the world, He is also transforming us to become like Himself. Philippians 3:21 assures us that even our weak, mortal bodies will one day be changed and fashioned like His glorious body. The one who reigns over the universe is patiently and powerfully making us more like Christ, and one day that work will be complete.

Today’s Takeaway: God is able to subdue all things and He is even now transforming us to be like Christ.