He Supples All Our Needs

 Philippians 4:19
 But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
What is it that you need? We are three dimensional beings, we have physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. We need food to keep our bodies functional and healthy, shelter to keep up safe from the elements of nature. Emotionally, we have needs of belonging and connecting with others. But our greatest need is our spiritual needs. We all were born with a void in our heart that desires to be one with our Creator. This need was provided to us by Christ. He is our all in all. He is all we need. Our physical and emotional needs can be found when we make Him first in our lives. Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things (needs) shall be added unto you.” According to His will, for He knows what is best for us. He did not say that He would grant our every wish or desire. Set our affections on things above, and not on things below. The things below are corruptible, they are temporary and fade away. But the things above are eternal, lasting forever. Examine our needs in light of His will, submitting our lives daily to the one who created us.

All Your Heart

Jeremiah 29:13

 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

We are saved by grace and grace alone, but grace cannot be obtained without a willful seeking of Him. How can you find God? We are not saved by any works of good deeds, or high moral standards. God’s word gives us direction and instruction on how we are to live if we are going to be a follower of Christ, but it is not in the things we do that will bring us to God, but in the obedience and trust we put in Him. God said, if you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. ALL YOUR HEART, is what He requires if we are to find Him. What does “all your heart” mean? There is no holding back, He is all we hope and desire. Our affection are set on Him and Him alone. There is no room for self and things that break the heart of God. We desire to keep His commandments, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments''. Finding Him will require full submission to His will and way. Abandon your heart to find Him. He will be there waiting for you. 

Show Real Love

 Romans 12:9, 10
  Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good...Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another,
Don’t pretend to love or try to act like you care when you really don’t. It is hypocritical to say you love someone, then treat them unkindly. Stay away from anything that is bad, hold tightly to everything that is good. Put others before your wants and needs, show others what love is really about by being kind, go the extra mile to show your love. Be an extension of Christ and let love reign in every part of your life.

Trails and Afflictions

1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.

Becoming a saint or a godly Christian come only through trails and afflictions. It is God’s desire that all that serve Him be made perfect in the image of His Son. Not perfect in our humanity, but made perfect in our love to Him and others. His goal is to establish us to a place that we know where we stand and our faith is   able to detect deception from Satan. We are made strong to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy. When all hell breaks loose in our lives, we settled the question long ago. No matter what happens, I believe in a God who cares and is able to take us through.

Looking After Others

Philippians 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

There’s a saying, “look after yourself because no one else will” This is the philosophy of the  world. Those that live in Christ, live not for the things of this world, nor are they worldly minded. The wisdom from above is to live each day as a servant, doing to others as you would have them do to you. The philosophy of Christ is to be kind and affection one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another. (Roman 12:10) This is more than just one act of kindness, but a lifestyle that reflects what it means to live in Christ. It is not about being 1st or the best, but about putting others 1st and being your best to give your best to others.

With All Your Heart

Ps 119:34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Deut. 11:13 to love the Lord your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,

To serve and love God with your whole heart. What does it mean to give someone your whole heart. The heart is known to harbor the seeds of affections. Our passions, our desires that will fulfill and satisfy needs and wants. When we speak from the heart, we speak what we really feel without deception. From the heart come the issues of life, the essences of who you really are. All means that there is no place for any other affection to give yourself to. It does not mean that you are not tempted to give in to other desires that may try to infiltrate. That is why we must guard our heart. Living for Christ is not something we do, but something we are. Serving God without loving His precepts is to live in bondage. To serve and love Him with ALL your heart is to know what real freedom is. The truth shall set you free.

He Will Meet Our Needs

Matt. 6:32 For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these things.

Eating, drinking, and shelter are natural instincts of human nature. Yet, Jesus says, not to worry about such things. I believe there is a deeper truth here than what is implied. Our spiritual needs should supersede our temporal needs. This body will die and pass away, but the spirit of this body will live for eternity. It is a step of faith to believe what you cannot see. Eternal life is beyond understanding. We live each day for food and shelter. We work each day to provide for the needs of the flesh and its comforts. We worry how we are going to make ends meet. There is a responsibility on our part to work. God has given us strength, talents, and a brain to accomplish many things, but our love and affections should be to first seek the Kingdom of God. We must do our best, and trust God to do the rest. At the end of our resources, He give us what we need when we need it. 

Crucify the Flesh

Gal. 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

Jesus was crucified on the cross, died and shed His blood for our sins. We who have been forgiven of our sins and have accepted Jesus into our lives identify with His death. We also have been crucified with Christ. The life we now live is not ours, but it belongs to Christ. Our sinful affections and our lustful desires to live for self have been nailed to the cross. We no longer yield our members to the things that have been crucified. Those affections have been forgiven and put to death. Through Christ, we yield our hearts to live a life that is holy and pleasing to God. We our to be a reflection of Christ in how we act and live. As we walk in the light of Gods word, he leads us to a complete surrender of our whole body, soul and spirit. Our hopes, our ambitions and everything that we live for is brought to the foot of Jesus. The fullness of His spirit is manifest in the actions and reactions of our lives. The fruit of the  Spirit now rules without command in our hearts. 

Nothing But the Blood

1 peter 1:18a,19 “For ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, such as silver and gold…but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”

Nothing but the blood of Christ is able to redeem us back to God. No amount of money or means can buy eternal life. Unless we keep our minds and hearts focus on things above, it is easy to get our affections set on the things of this world. We are surrounded with messages that wealth is a sign of a successful life. The world values its worth on how much it can gain of this world’s goods. God looks at us with tender loving care.  We all are precious in His sight and His love for us is so great that He gave His Son to die for the sin(s) that separates us from Him. His precious blood that was shed on the cross is worth more than any earthly treasure on earth. We don’t have to be anyone special in this world, or have riches of this world to get God’s attention. His love reaches all who will come to Him, believe that He is the One to make us in His image. “Silver and gold, have I none, but such as I have I give unto thee”.

Dead to the World

Col. 3:2,3  “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”-

Dead to the world means that the world no longer holds any attraction. We hold on loosely to the material things of life and the temporal. Prestige and earthly power is but a vapor when compared to life in eternity.  Being “dead” in Christ implies that we have been to the cross. Once again, we have made the choice to pick up it up and follow Him, even the death of the cross. Our sins have been nailed, the old man has been crucified, and we are now made alive, a new creature. Being alive in Christ means that our desires and affections are focused on Christ and the teaching of His word. We find pleasure in serving Him and doing His will. Tho the earthly pleasure of this life have some appeal, they are nothing compared to what God has to offer. For in Him is life and the reason we live.

Our Affections

Col 3:2-3 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”-

As a sinner, our affections were set on the things of this world. Our carnal lustful desires were rooted in self and gratifying the flesh. “If it feels good, just do It” has been the motto of many who seek their own pleasure. Setting your affections implies that one’s will is involved with how those affections are fulfill. Paul, knowing that sexual desire is a human affection given to us by God, write that this affection be not satisfied in a way that fulfills the lust of the carnal flesh. God has ordained that this heavenly affection is fulfilled between a man and a women who have joined themselves in marriage. Sex outside of marriage, or allowing the mind to fulfill this desire is unclean and considered inordinate affections. We are no longer sinners, if we have put on the new man which is the image of Christ. We must now set our will to desire those things that reflect this image. The “new man” will seek the Holy Spirit to help them set their affections on things that are above, or Christ like. We no longer walk in the way of sinful living, but Christ who lives in our heart sent the Holy Spirit to help us put to death those members that seek after the things of this world. As a Christian, Satan will try and twist our affections and tempt us to fulfill a desire that is holy and fulfill it in a way that is sinful. Many a good person have fallen because they failed to keep their eyes and affections on Christ and have given in to Satan’s suggestions. Let us walk in the Spirit, so not to fulfill the lust of the flesh.