| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “You have been set free” Our Bible verse for today: “And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (CSB) Our thought for today: “You take care of others, and God will take care of you.” In recent days we’ve been thinking about how it is that Jesus sets us free from selfishness. We’ve considered the natural human tendency to be self-absorbed and to be concerned first and foremost for our own well-being. We’ve also learned that Jesus sets us free to focus on others instead and to serve them in His name. However, the question I posed yesterday was, how can we do that without worrying about our own needs going unmet? If we are focused on looking out for others, who is looking out for us? Well, ideally, if the other Christians in your life are living in the same selfless Christlike manner that you are, then they’re looking out of your interests just as you’re looking out for theirs. But beyond that, and more importantly, God has your back. He’s the One who is looking out for you and making sure that you are taken care of. That’s what Paul was referring to in Philippians 4:19. We commonly think of the Apostle Paul as having been a great evangelist and church-planter, and he was that. But most of his writings were directed to Christians and were about discipleship – they were all about helping Christians to become more Christlike. In Philippians 4:19 he was expressing His confidence that as we seek to serve God and others, God will take care of us. You take care of others, and God will take care of you. The Bible is filled with such assurances. Matthew 6:25-34 is of course the classic passage concerning this. In that part of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus assured His listeners that God is well aware of all of our situations and all of our needs. Our part is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” and then, “and all these things will be provided for you.” You take care of others, and God will take care of you. You work to accomplish His kingdom agenda and bless others in the name of Jesus, and can trust that God has your back. Here’s another, this one from the Old Testament: “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” Proverbs 11:15 (NIV). That’s God’s promise. You be generous with your time and efforts and resources for the sake of others, and God will make sure that you are similarly blessed. It’s liberating to know that God has set us free from worrying about such things. All we have to do is focus on being a blessing to others, and we can be confident that He will take care of us in return. So, you are free to focus on being a blessing to others, knowing that God will take care of you. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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