by Barbara Nuzum

Created on: August 20, 2009   Last Updated: September 01, 2009

But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory

These words were written a very long time ago. They still reach out to us with a very powerful message, and centuries have not changed the true meaning of them. God offers us His love and grace, if only we would embrace them, according to His will.

This passage is taken from one of the letters that St Paul wrote to the little but faithful church of Philippi, located in Macedonia, and the first European church founded. In all, Paul wrote four epistles to the Philippians. Throughout his epistles, Paul urges the congregation to steadfastly hold on to God's promises through Jesus Christ.

The historical background of Paul's epistles, and particularly the above phrase, will enlighten us to the significance of this passage. Paul wrote his letters around 60 A.D., at a time when he, himself was facing overwhelming trouble. He was incarcerated in a Roman prison, awaiting certain execution. By all means, Paul did not live a comfortable life when he wrote My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory. At the same time, the Philippians experienced malcontent and division within their midst.

Certainly God may bless us with a life full of prosperity. And when we are so blessed, it is easy to be a good Christian, trust in God, and do all the rights things we should as Christians. But leading a prosperous life has its own pitfalls as Christians. We may become complacent, too sure of our own abilities and achievements and conveniently forgetting that our talents and earthly riches are not just our own creation, but gifts from God. We need to always strive for humility, patience and practice Christian love for others. Pride, arrogance, ignoring the needs of others, discontent removes us further from God.

But when we are challenged by tragedy, as most of us will experience during a lifetime, holding steadfast to our faith may prove to be a little bit more difficult. We should never lose sight that God stands by us through difficult times, and while we may not always know or understand His plan, hopefully we will have the faith to trust in Him implicitly and find comfort in His presence.

Paul's epistle urges Christian unity, compassion, Christian love and a strong faith through Jesus Christ, regardless of our circumstances. We walk in grace because of God and Jesus Christ. We have been given Unmerited Favor and Forgiveness by God through Jesus. He offers us His undeserved love and mercy and freedom from our sinful nature. (Ephesians 2:8-9).Those are the ultimate Riches that God in His eternal love and generosity has bestowed upon us.

Learn more about this author, Barbara Nuzum.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.