Today’s
readings are 1
Samuel 3:11-21 and Philippians 4:10-23
Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according
to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
I
love this verse. It speaks to my heart in so many different ways. Throughout my
life, God has always provided for my needs, even when I was growing up in
poverty. I like these words because there’s a beautiful reassuring promise
behind them that comes from God. He is the Great Provider of all our blessings;
He is still the Jehovah Jireh (from Genesis 22:14) who gives of Himself time
after time, generation after generation, and person after person.
Because
I believe in this promise, I know that whatever I am faced with today, God will
look after everything I need. If I get too preoccupied with the things that I
selfishly desire, then I will probably stray from His path. However, if I live
by His promised word then I will find contentment with what I already have. To
me, the secret to happiness is in accepting what God gives, instead of craving
and clamoring for what I may selfishly want.
Perhaps
you are seeking to be happy in all the wrong places or with all the wrong
things. Maybe envy and entitlement sour your ability to be content. As the old
hymn states, perhaps it’s time to ‘count your blessings’ rather than list your
wants. After all, when the scriptures tell us that ‘God will meet all your needs according
to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus,’ what more could we ever
ask for?
Questions for personal reflection
What do I truly
need in my life? How can God enable me to experience it?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You came into the world
to give us the one thing that we need in all of our lives: salvation. Our time
on Earth is fleeting, but our existence through You can be made everlasting, so
there is nothing in this world that ever be important beyond our deaths. Show
us how to be happy with our needs being met by God, instead grumbling over what
we do not have. In Your Holy Name, we happily pray. Amen.
Today’s
image is one of John’s latest winter drawings called “Snowfall at Cades Cove.”
If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3673/11845624695_bf354f217a_b.jpg
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