The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Our Needs, His Supply"
As our perfect and loving Heavenly Father, God promises to provide for His trusting sons and daughters in Christ.
"My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).
Note the abundance promised: "all your need." This means we can trust our Lord about matters concerning every aspect of our existence. It also means we must trust Him regarding how He administers such provision. That is, God defines both our need and how best to supply.
"The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works" (Psalm 145:17)
After my father died, my mother worked extremely hard to be sure I had a roof over my head, food on the table, clothing, and whatever else she could provide. She attended to my needs by the grace of God and much effort on her part. I did not appreciate this enough, but I did know my mother did everything she could in providing the basic necessities and whatever pleasures she could afford. However, she also met my needs by requiring personal responsibility on my part, and by executing discipline in times when I did not act as I should. I needed her firm hand no less than the more pleasant administrations of her love. I did not understand this at the time, but I know it now. And how thankful I am that my mother loved me enough to supply for my needs in ways that served my truest well being.
"Whom the Lord loveth, He chastened, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" (Hebrews 12:6).
"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
(Hebrews 12:11).
God's administers His provision in ways both blessed and challenging. He alone perfectly knows the needs of every aspect of our being and existence. Most of all, our Heavenly Father knows our greatest need, namely, that we glorify the Lord Jesus, fulfill His will, and serve as His blessing to others. He supplies in love for us so that He might lead us in love for others. Thus, His provision of both the pleasant and the difficult serve His holy purposes of conforming us to the spiritual and moral image of the Lord Jesus (Romans 8:28-29). He could do nothing better for us than to make us like His Son. Such a glorious purpose requires that He meets our needs in ways that often bring smiles to our faces, but sometimes difficulties to our souls and bodies that no less serve as His provision. We will one day give thanks for such wise administration, that one day best being this day as by faith we offer our gratitude for God's perfect supply, executed by His perfect love and wisdom.
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
(Matthew 6:31-33)
"Ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."
(I Peter 1:6-7)
"As for God, His way is perfect."
(II Samuel 22:31)
Weekly Memory Verse
We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead."
(II Corinthians 1:9)
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