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10/10 Reading Portions: 1 Kings 13; Philippians 4; Ezekiel 43; Psalms 95-96
Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
SUPPLY
While we are complete in Christ (Col 2:10, KJV), or more literally, “filled in Him” (Col 2:10, ESV), because Jesus is a complete Savior (see yesterday’s devotional), we have not yet obtained our ultimate end, neither received glorified perfection (Phil 3:12). We certainly have needs because of the corruptions remaining in our mortal flesh until Christ Jesus returns or calls us home. Because of those corruptions still remaining, we may sometimes mistakenly confuse lusts and desires for needs (Jas 4:2-3). What needs do we have in Christ? There are too many to list in their various details because of the differences in our situations and circumstances. Likewise, because of those variables, the priorities of those needs would be greater or lesser for each one of us. There is one need, however, that is at the top of the list of priorities for every saint in Christ. The Lord Jesus tells us so in the episode in Bethany between Lazarus’s two sisters, Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42). You remember the recorded event. Martha was busy serving the Lord and His disciples, and service to the Lord Jesus is a good and noble thing. With gratitude, in love and godly fear, our response to the Lord Jesus who has saved us by His mercy, love, and grace is service and good works because we know this pleases Him. Mary, however, sat at the feet of the Lord Jesus with undivided adoration, learning from the words He spoke. Martha complained to the Lord, desiring that her sister help her, and Jesus said this:
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41-42
Service and good works are not unimportant. These are fruits of the regenerative work of God in having saved a soul (Matt 7:20; 2 Cor 5:17; Jas 2:26). Yet service and good works apart from the needful truth that Jesus Christ is EVERYTHING (Matt 10:37; Lk 14:26-27), and that we are to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind (Matt 22:37-38), makes our works of service worthless (Matt 7:21-23). The corruptions still remaining in our mortal flesh lusts to be justified by good works, but hates grace, hates the gospel, hates God’s only Son, and hates the Triune God. Nevertheless, Jesus will supply abundantly more than we can ask or think (Eph 3:20) to empower us to exalt Him and to destroy the idols in our lives that distract us, keeping us from honoring Him with the worship He is due and deserves. Hallelujah! What a Savior!