“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NKJV
Philippians 4:19 is often used to teach on the principle of giving and receiving…
Reading from preceding verses (verse 15), we understand that Paul’s pronouncement on the Ephesian Church in verse 19, came from a heart of {overwhelming} gratitude for God’s provision for him through the Church at Ephesus. According to Paul, the people sent gifts to meet his needs once and again, to the point of overflow. It was in response to this that Paul pronounced Ephesians 4:19 on the Church; my God SHALL supply all your needs.
God Shall Supply
The word ‘Shall‘ expresses a strong assertion or intention. So Paul was making a confident and an assured assertion that God will unfailingly supply.
To supply is to make something available where it is needed or wanted, to provide, to make something available to someone, to satisfy a demand or requirement.
As used in Ephesians 4:19, supply means to make replete, to level up, to fill, to make full or complete.
So Paul was actually saying to the Ephesian Church; God will unfailingly make the things you need and want available, He will satisfy all your demand and requirements, He will provide in such a way as to fill up, level up, make full and complete.
God supplies. He Shall Supply.
God Shall Supply liberally
Economists often make an effort to distinguish needs from wants, defining a need as something that is necessary for survival (including food, clothing and shelter) and a want as something desirable. So according to this definition, needs are basics, necessities, essentials.
If we put this definition of needs against Philippians 4:19 as translated in the Amplified version, we notice a kind of inconsistency…..
“And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 NKJV.
Apparently the Amplified version reading of ‘God will liberally supply‘ doesn’t sit well with the Economists’ definition of needs. Going by the Economists’ thoughts, desires are not needs. Needs are high priority items, they are sort of a part of a whole list of requirements. They are therefore somewhat gauged, measured, metered, calculated against a whole. Needs would require prioritizing one thing over the other, meaning that somethings will be left undone. On the other hand, to make something available liberally is to provide it in large or generous amounts, to provide it in a way that is not precise or strict. Apostle Paul also talks about God supplying ALL their needs. ‘All’ means everything, all is whole, entire, total, complete absolute.
I want to therefore believe that Apostle Paul was saying to the Ephesian Church; God shall supply everything you require (needs, wants, desires) liberally.
God Shall Supply Your Needs and Desires..
Jesus says we can ask for the things we desire……
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Mark 11:24 KJV.
If God gave us Himself (in Christ), there is nothing He would withhold from us…. He gives us all things freely…
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?“
Romans 8:32 NKJV
God supplies. He doesn’t supply in trickles. He is not stingy or miserly. No! God supplies All we need generously and liberally. He doesn’t take any special care to ensure that our supply just doesn’t exceed exactly what we require. No! He is liberal and generous in supply.
Psalm 34:9-10 says those who fear the Lord, will want or lack nothing…..
“Oh, fear the Lord , you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.”
Psalms 34:9-10 NKJV
Even Apostle Paul would attest to the fact that his own supply (from God, through the Ephesian Church) was in abundance, surplus, and overflowing measure….
“Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” Philippians 4:18 NKJV
I have all, I am full and I abound (exist in large numbers or amounts).. that’s the way God supplies…in abundance….to overflowing measures…..
In James 1:5-6, we see another picture of how God supplies….
“If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him. But he must ask [for wisdom] in faith, without doubting [God’s willingness to help], for the one who doubts is like a billowing surge of the sea that is blown about and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6 AMP.
God is liberal and generous in His giving. He is never going to scold you for asking for too much.
Even if you wasted your previous supply like the Prodigal son, He is not going to blame you or rebuke you, instead just like the Father of the Prodigal son, He will order for all your desires to be met quickly. Halleluyah!
…….Ask for your desires boldly……
Hebrews 11:6 says we should come to God boldly, confidently and in faith knowing that God is able and willing to supply everything you need.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 NKJV.
God Shall Supply according to His riches in glory
God is rich. He is wealthy. He is abundantly rich, God possesses great wealth. The earth and it’s fullness belongs to Him. He created them all. The cattle on a thousand hills are His (Psalms 50:10-12 NLT). We don’t have a poor God, our God is rich.
His generosity is from a point of surplus, of unlimited abundance. His source is infinitesimal, doesn’t finish, doesn’t run dry. He doesn’t support from a point of lack or insufficiency. God doesn’t need to make a mental check of available stock before releasing some to us, no,
He is rich and His riches are in glory by Christ Jesus. A rich Jesus became poor for our sakes; so that we might become rich (II Corinthians 8:9 NKJV). It doesn’t take Him anything to feed a crowd of 4000+, no, not even 5000+. Naaa. He feeds them to full satisfaction……with leftovers!!! More leftovers than the original amount they started with. God is rich. He is rich, liberal and benevolent. He supplies from a source of great immeasurable wealth.
I am talking about your Father and my Father. He is generous He is liberal, He is rich, He is rich in glory! And all that the Father has is ours, they are our inheritance. We are heirs of the Father. Halleluyah! We have to lay hold of what is ours.
He supplies exceedingly and abundantly according to His riches in glory.
God shall supply through men
Ofcourse we cannot forget how God moved in extraordinary ways to rain down bread as quails from Heaven to feed His people (Exodus 16:13) or can we forget how He caused water to gush out of rocks so His people could drink (Psalms 105:40-41). I have heard stories of people in absolute lack waking up to a basket of groceries at their doorsteps. Also heard of angels (in human forms), offsetting people’s bills with their creditors just before disappearing. God can move in extraordinary ways and we should not write off the possibility of experiencing these kinds of miracles in our lives. However, in our text (Ephesians 4:15-19), Paul’s abundant supply came through men.
God Shall Supply as we give
Paul points out an interesting principle of receiving from men; ‘the principle of giving and receiving’…
‘Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. ‘ Philippians 4:15 NKJV.
This Kingdom principle simply means that when we give, we should expect to receive. We should believe that just the way God nudged us or spoke to us to give out, is the same way He will also speak to someone else to give back to us. Luke 6:38 actually says we can expect to receive a ‘running over’; that is something on top of what we give out, an increase, a profit….
“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38 NKJV
Question? Have you been giving?
There are different types of giving. You can give of material things, your time, talents and gifts. Paul’s giving was essentially of his giftings and talents and time.
The KJV rendering of Luke 6:38 clearly identifies how this ‘receiving back’ will occur. It says men shall give to you…
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Luke 6:38 KJV
Men shall give back to us when we give. We should give not only for a harvest but because we love God, we love to obey God, to promote the great commission, for benevolence (because we love other brethren). The motive for giving should not only be to receive. A lot of persons have become disillusioned and almost depressed because they feel they’ve given without returns. The offering basket is not a money-doubling scheme. We should give with the right motive.
Friends, God Shall supply, He shall supply generously and liberally, God shall supply from the abundance of His riches. He may work through extraordinary means to deliver our supply to us or He shall cause men to give back to us. Expect a truckload of supplies, they are coming. Indeed they are here (at your doorstep), receive them. When you get a call about a delivery, do not say; ‘but I did not order anything, go sign off your supplies… sent by Your Father.
God shall supply your every need/wants, He shall supply more than enough for your needs, for you to support His work, and also for you to be a blessing to others.
Halleluyah!
Thank You Lord!!!
……………..
The article “God Shall Supply” was first published on Grace Obomanu Blog 4th December, 2020.
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