A Beautiful Thing -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

Day 4 Devotional (Week 3)
Thursday, April 28, 2011

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:19

How easy it is to focus on the first half of the verse -- "And my God will meet all your needs…" -- and think that we, as Christians, will not be left wanting for earthly gratifications.

As young married people with two incomes and no children in our household, often our definition of need extended to things like, "I really need that nice pair of dress shoes/new drill." Once we had our first son, Miles, and became a one-income household, we quickly learned to discern the difference between financial wants and needs. God has been very gracious in enabling us to maintain the lifestyle we chose and has at the same time taught us valuable lessons in relying on him to provide for us when it seemed as though funds would fall short.

However, to focus on just the first part of Philippians 4:19 is to miss the most important part of the verse, which is, "...according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." It's wonderful to have a God and Savior who cares about our individual needs and who can relieve all hard circumstances just by saying, "Be still." But the "glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Paul is referring to are eternal blessings -- they are the hope of salvation from the Christ who took our own sins upon himself, allowing us an eternity to praise him and lay riches at his feet. The primary need we have -- the need that supersedes all others -- is the need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

As we begin A Beautiful Thing by raising funds to upgrade our sanctuary, we are focusing our hearts on a Christ who has provided for us abundantly here on earth and who has made the ultimate provision for us, which is an eternity in His presence. Regardless of our earthly financial wants and needs, repairing and beautifying the place where we praise Jesus' name is an integral part of our worship and love of Him.

Lord, help us to see past our own wants and needs and focus on our worship of you. As you provide for us in every small thing, set our hearts on praising and giving thanks to you and returning to you some of the blessings that you have so graciously given to us. Help us to create a beautiful thing in honor of your holy name. Amen.

Prepared by Patrick and Amy Koch

To prepare spiritually during our “A Beautiful Thing” campaign, you will receive a devotional written by our own members every Monday through Saturday for five weeks. To opt out of these daily devotionals, click here. To read the announcements from the “ABT Weekly Update,” click here.

A Beautiful Thing - from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Austin, Texas	Contact Tom Goodman, Pastor
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Day 4 Devotional (Week 3) Thursday, April 28, 2011 "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." -- Philippians 4:19 How easy it is to focus on the first half of the verse -- "And my God will meet all your needs…" -- and think that we, as Christians, will not be left wanting for earthly gratifications. As young married people with two incomes and no children in our household, often our definition of need extended to things like, "I really need that nice pair of dress shoes/new drill." Once we had our first son, Miles, and became a one-income household, we quickly learned to discern the difference between financial wants and needs. God has been very gracious in enabling us to maintain the lifestyle we chose and has at the same time taught us valuable lessons in relying on him to provide for us when it seemed as though funds would fall short. However, to focus on just the first part of Philippians 4:19 is to miss the most important part of the verse, which is, "...according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." It's wonderful to have a God and Savior who cares about our individual needs and who can relieve all hard circumstances just by saying, "Be still." But the "glorious riches in Christ Jesus" Paul is referring to are eternal blessings -- they are the hope of salvation from the Christ who took our own sins upon himself, allowing us an eternity to praise him and lay riches at his feet. The primary need we have -- the need that supersedes all others -- is the need to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. As we begin A Beautiful Thing by raising funds to upgrade our sanctuary, we are focusing our hearts on a Christ who has provided for us abundantly here on earth and who has made the ultimate provision for us, which is an eternity in His presence. Regardless of our earthly financial wants and needs, repairing and beautifying the place where we praise Jesus' name is an integral part of our worship and love of Him. Lord, help us to see past our own wants and needs and focus on our worship of you. As you provide for us in every small thing, set our hearts on praising and giving thanks to you and returning to you some of the blessings that you have so graciously given to us. Help us to create a beautiful thing in honor of your holy name. Amen. Prepared by Patrick and Amy Koch To prepare spiritually during our “A Beautiful Thing” campaign, you will receive a devotional written by our own members every Monday through Saturday for five weeks. To opt out of these daily devotionals, click here. To read the announcements from the “ABT Weekly Update,” click here.