Seek the Fruit

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly
that now at last
your care for me has flourished again;
though you surely did care,
but you lacked opportunity.

(Philippians 4:10)

LORD Jesus, we praise You, for You are Jehovah-jireh, the One who cares and provides for His people. Forgive us, O God, we pray, whenever we fail to care for others in need. Help us that we will not lack opportunities to do so. Give us the wisdom and make us good stewards of what You have given to us. Enable us to see who it is that is in authority of our wealth, our health, and our time. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.

Lack of Opportunity to Help Others

Something that frustrated me during the lockdowns was that we as Christians were unable to help others as much as we should have. Even though we might have cared about others because of restrictions, we lacked many opportunities to lend a hand.

There might have not been a pandemic that caused a lack of opportunity for the Philippians to help Paul. Whatever has been the cause of it, though, it hindered the Philippians from adding more “fruit” (profit) to their heavenly account.

No, this is not works-driven, and it does not help a non-believer to get into God’s Kingdom. It is, by the Grace of God, what should happen once a person is born-again. It is taking what God provides for us (our wealth, our health, our talents, or our time) and sharing it with others to fill their needs.

Sharing Our Wealth

Leviticus 25:35-38 tells us to look after our poor brother or sister in Christ. If it is in our power to lend money, we are not to take any interest from our brethren. We are not to lend money or food at a profit. The fact is, we are to give the money freely, not expecting it back from our brother or sister.

That does not mean that we should be unwise in our way of handling what God has given to us. No. Instead, we ought to be good stewards of what God has provided, and fear our God. We need to gain more, not to hoard it, but to be able to give more. “Blessed to be a blessing.”

Other Ways to Help

You might not be rich, but there are surely other ways you can help someone in need.

How about cooking one or the other meal for a family? Could you assist the elderly man and clean his home now and then? Or, what about your neighbor, that single mom who lives just around the corner? Would you mind helping her in any possible way? Maybe watching her kids while she is going to the movies, or helping her kids to do their homework?

True, we as Christians should be able to say like Paul did,

I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.

(Philippians 4:13)

On the other side, though, we should also be able to freely receive the offering/s that our brethren are willing to give to us in the name of the LORD (Philippians 4:14).

Seeking the Opportunity to Help

Note, it will not matter, if it is “your” money to cover their expenses, or your God-given talent to share your expertise for free, or your time. What matters is that you care, and that you are happy for the opportunity to help.

Paul did not pressure anyone to help him. He could live in whatsoever state he was in and be content (Philippians 4:11). Instead, he cared about the Philippians, fruit that abounds to their account (Philippians 4:17).

Now, and only after the former nine verses of the same chapter, comes the next verse which is so often taken out of context,

And my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches
in glory by Christ Jesus.

(Philippians 4:19)

A verse followed by praising the One who made it all possible (the receiving and the giving)

Now to our God and Father be glory
forever and ever.
Amen.

(Philippians 4:20)

Seek the fruit and give glory to God today.

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Powerless

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.

(Psalm 62:5)

LORD Jesus, we praise You, for You are the One who knows us and our life’s circumstances. You always remain in control. Hallelujah! Forgive us, O God we pray, whenever we fail to be still and wait upon You. Power belongs to our God. Give us the faith, the patience, and the peace to wait silently for You alone. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

Are Power Companies Still Reliable Today?

Last Friday was supposed to be another day of a planned power outage in the area. Guess what? The power was not once interrupted throughout the whole day. Since electricity was scheduled to go at one point, we had to take a day off work.

What If Power Sockets Quit Working?

This week’s Tuesday, there was an unexpected power cut in our area. It started shortly after 11 a.m. and lasted until 3:30 p.m. My husband gave notice to his employer and then we just had to wait until the power came back.

In Power Outage, Are You Prepared For It?  I wrote that I do not mind power cuts. Scheduled ones, however, are easier to handle then ones that take us by surprise.

Now and then, sometimes more and sometimes less, we are facing power outages during our Christian life, too. Then what? I wrote more about that in Whenever Your Power Is Gone

Let’s read today’s verse again:

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him.

What can you do if you are desperately seeking an answer from God? What is it that you should be reminding yourself of when times are tough?

Wait silently for God alone and expect an answer from Him today.

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What Are You Reading?

So Philip ran to him,
and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said,
“Do you understand what you are reading?”

(Acts 8:30)

LORD Jesus, we praise You, for You have made the Way for us to have faith. Forgive us, O God we pray, whenever we neglect reading our Bibles. Reach out and touch our hearts, so that we will long to spend time with You and in Your Word. Open our eyes and ears to hear what Your Spirit is telling us today. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen.

How did your Bible reading come along this year?

At the beginning of this year, in God’s Word in 2023, I asked you to make it a habit to read your Bible on a regular basis.

Oh, please, do not misunderstand. I’m not pointing my finger at you, dear reader. I have to constantly remind myself to read and study the Word daily. It is so vital for our Christian life, though, that we read and know what God says.

If you do need a Bible reading plan, please take a look at the sidebar and/or The Bible page for more information.

Surprised by the Word

The following is just one example of the many wise counsels that God supplies through His Word. How many of us would have thought of something like that?

Deuteronomy 24:5 tells a man who has just married his wife to stay home with her for one year. One whole year? Who could ever afford this?

Yes, in today’s world, that would still be possible. Imagine that during the next 12 months you would have €3,000 each month at your disposal. That will come up to €36,000, which is the cost of an average wedding in Ireland. I’m asking you, what is more important: having a fancy wedding celebration or spending twelve months getting to know your spouse? I do understand that many couples, Christian ones included, are already living together. So this would not make a difference for you, of course.

True, some couples cannot afford that kind of money, so what will they do? Most of them will get a wedding loan and pay it off within a couple of years. Will it be worth it? You decide!

Study God’s Word today.

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