What stuck out in my mind is how Paul had a sense of ownership when he used ‘my’. It showed me that he had a relationship with something or someone. The relationship could be a sense of ownership or personal. I asked myself who is ‘my’ referring to and came up with God. Paul had a personal relationship with God that he was able to say ‘My God’. It was not someone else’s God to him but personal.

Point 2: God

What came to my mind is the Creator of heaven and earth who made us in His image. Paul has a relationship with God and shares that with the Philippians. He does not end it here but lets the Philippians know what God can do for them. This is evidenced by point 3.

Point 3: will meet

For all the support and aid the Philippians have given to Paul (yesterday’s DQT: F.I.N.A.N.C.E), he wants them to know that it is not forgotten by God and God will personally intervene in their lives by meeting but meeting what. This is evidenced by point 4.

Point 4: all

God is in the business of wholeness and completeness not partial business.

I am reminded of what happened when Jesus healed Peter's mother-in-law! She got up and prepared a meal for them! It is as if she was never sick because she was able to get up and prepare a meal for them! Those who have fever cannot usually get up and do things because they become weak even after the fever subsides but not her because Jesus touched her and healed her bringing wholeness and completeness into her life!

Paul wants the Philippians to know that God ‘will meet all’ and not just some. But what?

Point 5: your

Paul wants the Philippians to know that God will directly intervene in their lives. For what?

Point 6: needs

God will meet whatever they need. It is an intervention during need by God and not an intervention for want even though that could happen. Paul is assuring them that whatever support and aid they have given to others is not going unnoticed by God. On the contrary, God promises to meet all their needs. How?

Point 7: according to his

What came to my mind is God will do it His way even when we do not understand the methods. He is able to meet all our needs because of who He is and what He has. This is evidenced by point 8.

Point 8: glorious riches

Everything belongs to God and God will meet all their needs according to his glorious riches. What came to my mind is that they are not ordinary riches like we may think of but glorious riches. That is exciting to know. How?

Point 9: in Christ Jesus

The Philippians needs will not be forgotten for all the help they have given Paul. Instead, they themselves will be blessed. Paul is letting them know God will meet all their needs according to His glorious riches in Jesus Christ like Peter's mother-in-law's needs were met. That is exciting to know because the Philippians already know Jesus and have learned a lot about Jesus even through the book of Philippians. They can rest in Jesus knowing He will become their Jehovah Jireh!

IMPLICATIONS:

I saw important implications for my own life. I learned support and aid does not always need to be financial but through other means too. I want to share a personal story of mine with you.

Many of you who know me know how much I love to reach out to students with the love of Christ. I love to do this by developing disciples for the Lord who will engage the campus in all its ethnic diversity with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do that it takes time and support too. In the past, I would do ministry 40+ hours on campus and loved every bit of it. I loved especially seeing students lives changed and transformed.

I see myself as a missionary on campus being directly involved in the lives of students as the campus is seen as a country to me. My student ID serves as a passport for me to legally be in the campus-country and engage the campus. My job serves as tent-making where I would assimilate myself where students were to reach them more effectively. It happened for a long time. But the main reason I tell you this is that while I did 40 hours of ministry and took classes, bills still had to be paid.

Amazingly not only did the Lord provide for me financially through different means but He also took care of me academically. Even though I did ministry 40+ hours, I was just shocked and amazed when I got my transcript back. I was expecting C’s and D’s after I took my exams. I knew I should have put more work into my classes because there was no point to take classes and not do my best to excel in them. Yet, I had not but the Lord was gracious and merciful! I try to study hard to set a good example!

This did not mean that I got all A’s but chose to work hard in my subjects for the glory and honor of the Lord, leaving the results in His Hands. If I went on probation, that would have affected my ministry on campus too because my ID would be invalid. Anyway, to make things short for the first time I made a 4.0 in college by going full-time that year which also boosted me to have 4.0 in one of my majors. God was providing for me as I took care of the students on campus for His glory.

In my first 2 majors, I had a 3.17 and a 3.75 and was not even expecting to 4.0 in my third major which is legal studies. It was just exciting how I was able to put 40+ in ministry and still maintain good grades. It is by God’s grace and mercy that happened. After that semester, I have not always maintained a 4.0 but am thankful to the Lord for a 4.0 in my final major. For me that was a need because I needed to boost my cumulative Q.P.A from what it used to be and the Lord provided. I have graduated and work on campus in Food Services which I love. I also take classes as a means to ministry! The EDUCATION section will give you an idea in what ways!

I had served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for a couple of years!Coming back to ministry, through my church: Oakland International Fellowship, I am so thankful for all those who have supported me through other means than financially! Currently, I do ministry mostly through the newspaper and my church!

I ASK YOU NOW:

I ask you now dear friends, what are your needs?

Dear friend, whatever your needs are our Lord knows. He knows your needs and will reach you where you are in His timing! He will carry you! Yes, He will friend! No matter how your situation looks like, take it to the Lord in prayer. I learned as we seek the Lord and His Kingdom first, He will add all the other things to us. He has done that for me in ministry and outside of ministry.

Friend, the Lord knows what you need in your life and will intervene as you seek Him and make yourself available to others. The Christian life is a life of servant hood and service. We desire to help others because Christ first helped us.

I realized grades are just letters and may look good on paper but they are not necessarily needs but wants many times. Friend, I do believe the Lord can provide us the grades we need to pursue a field/career if that is the direction He wants us to go as we trust in Him and give our best leaving the results in the Lord’s hands. I also know of people who have not gotten good grades but have gotten in a field/career because of the Lord’s favor in their lives. They did not give up nor did they see God as their genie in the box. They served the Lord faithfully without ulterior motives.

Paul was confident that God would meet all the needs of the Philippians according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. We have the same God in our lives and can be confident that God will meet all our needs His way and for His glory.

No matter what needs you are facing, take it to the Lord in prayer no matter how big or small, for He is our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider! May you intimately get to know the Lord in your life now and always! Amen!

I want to share with you a poem I wrote years ago and modified it later. It is called Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider.

Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider

Your guidance provides my need

Thank you Lord,

Upon Your Word, I can feed

Thank you Lord,

Upon Your Word I can heed

Thank you Lord,

Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider

Your guidance provides my need

Depending on You,

Financially I won't drown

Depending on You,

Emotionally I won't frown

Cause Jesus,

You are my true Crown

Jehovah-Jireh, my Provider

Your guidance provides my need(2x)

AMEN!

"Nicely Everyday Everlasting Deliverer Supplies! "(N.E.E.D.S)/"What are your N.E.E.D.S?"

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, thank you for loving us so much. Jesus, you know all our needs and I thank you that you do intervene in our lives as we seek you with our whole heart. Oh Lord, I pray that we would depend on you completely for our needs. Thank you how you do provide for us. We turn all our needs to you and depend on you for the answer. Oh Lord, you know each one’s needs and wants. Please Oh Lord make it clear to us what we think our needs are and what you see as our needs are. Thank you for your awesome promise to claim regarding our needs being met. I trust in you Lord completely with everything. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray. Thank you Jesus we can ask you things in your Name! Amen!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us. I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Spend time in His word and let the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through. Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible Live Eternally!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-720-4579

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Love in Christ,
Ramesh

Express Your View

SEPTEMBER 2005

MARK: CHAPTER 1

How seriously do you T.E.S.T.I.F.Y to prophecy? (Sept 01, 05)

Who do you P.O.I.N.T to? (Sept 02, 05)

"Will you take a S.T.A.N.D?" (Sept 03, 05)

How is your loving P.R.A.I.S.E? (Sept 06, 05)

"How do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N?" (Sept 07, 05)

"Who controls your T.I.M.E?" (Sept 08, 05)

"What kind of P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N are you in?" (Sept 09, 05)