Supply: July 27, 2009

TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY JULY 27. 2009

SUPPLY

Defined by Webster:

To furnish or provide to a person; to substitute for another; something that is supplied.

GODS WORD

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19.

“Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Galatians 3: 5

“Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for loaves, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.: II Corinthians 9:10.

WORDS FROM KEN AND DOTTIE

God has promised to supply our needs. Our “needs” and our “wants” are not the same thing. If we focus only on what we want but do not have, we forget to be grateful for what God has given us and we become dissatisfied. This was the problem that Moses had to face with the children of Israel as recorded in Numbers 11.

God had provided manna to feed them as they went through the wilderness on the way to the Promised Land. Some of the Israelites became dissatisfied with the manna supplied by God and complained to Moses that they wanted meat. They were no longer grateful that God was supplying their needs. Moses took it to the Lord. God answered and sent them quail in abundance and the people gorged themselves on the meat. God was displeased with their greed and their ungratefulness so He punished them by striking them with a severe plaque.

When God supplies our needs and we are not grateful, He is greatly displeased as He was with the Israelites. We are at all times to be grateful for all that he has given us.

This is an interesting word (supply) for Christians. We say this because so many limit God as to all that He wants for us because of our lack of faith. We are reminded in the scriptures of many promises that tell us that God shall supply ALL of our needs. But do we really believe that this is true. Do our actions show that we believe this? God is unlimited in what He can supply. It is our lack of faith and our unwillingness to ask that limits God.

My father [Dottie’s] suffered a severe stroke when I was nine years old. My sisters were eight and six and life for us changed dramatically. We were not a rich family but God for years always supplied our every need. My dad was incapacitated so my mother had to work and take care of my dad and provide for us three sisters. Mother was able to get a job from 4:00P.M. until midnight. We had to live on a meager income so we learned what it meant to trust in the Lord to supply all our needs. And He always supplied just what we needed.

For five years my mother went to work after we came home from school. It was my responsibility, being the oldest, to keep my father and sisters. Those were tough years but looking back on those years, I remember that I never felt discontent. God always supplied every need and the most important thing is that I always felt loved --- by my Lord, my mother and my family.

We are reminded of the time when Jesus went to the marriage feast with His mother [John 2:1-5], in Cana of Galilee. Jesus mother told Jesus that the wine “had failed.” She knew that Jesus could SUPPLY all that was needed, and He did.

History has made it very clear to us that when times are tough, that is the time when many people seem to complain about “things.” But God always honors abundantly those that give Him honor and praise in tough times and He supplies all his or her needs. We know that when we are facing tough times we spend more time praying and asking God to help because we recognize that we need help. When times are good, unfortunately, many Christians become complacent about asking God for His blessing because they feel self-sufficient. Feeling self-sufficient and not thanking God for His blessings in our lives leads to pride. We are warned in Proverbs 16:18 that pride comes before a fall.

Look at all that God has supplied for us. He sent His only Son to pay our penalty for sin. He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort us as we serve Him. He supplies us with health, talents and abilities to serve Him. And He provides us with the certainty of spending eternity with Him in Heaven.

In Luke 6:38 it reads: “Give and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over ---.” And in Matthew 21:22 it reads: “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” And finally in Luke 11:9 it reads: “So I say to you, ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.”

Look at the key words that Jesus gives us in these verses. They are GIVE, ASK IN PRAYER, BELIEVING, SEEK, and KNOCK. Each word demands action on our part and if we act just as He expects us to act just think what God will do in SUPPLYING all our needs.

“Gods work done in Gods way will never lack Gods supplies.” Hudson Taylor

TODAYS FAMILY PRAYER

Thank you Lord, for the way that you continually, day by day, supply all my needs. Help me to understand that it is because of my lack of faith that I limit you for what you want to do in my life and through my life. Make me a channel for you to bless others today