Monthly Archives: June 2022

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

Philippians 4:19

This promise from the Word of God is powerful and all-encompassing. The precept that the Christian learns here is key to achieving the peace of God. Let us examine this one verse in detail this week.

Who is the author of this promise? God Himself is the guarantor of this awesome principle. Our Lord is able to keep every pledge He makes. We can trust Him with everything and with every need in our lives. Our Lord is able to do exactly what His Word declares.

What does the promise entail? God will supply all of our needs. He will bring us through and grant us all that we need to live for Christ. This verse does not guarantee that the Almighty will give us all that we want. The Father has vowed to meet our needs whenever they arise. God’s timing can be very different than ours. He will provide and you and I can trust Him in our times of difficulty.  

How is this promise enacted? The Father will enact this principle through His riches in Christ Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead and His resurrection teaches the Christian that God’s power can and does perform miracles. Our Lord can do all that He has declared. If He raised Jesus from the dead, the Almighty can take care of us.

What an incredible promise one sees in this passage of Scripture. Thanks be to God who takes care of His own. You can trust in the Lord, child of God.

Tony French

In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them.

Psalm 22:4

I will trust in the Lord.  He has delivered those who came before. God has kept them and brought them safely to His rest. I will trust in the Lord.

O my God, in You I trust, Do not let me be ashamed; Do not let my enemies exult over me.

Psalm 25:2

I will trust in the Lord. My enemies will not have the final word in my life. God’s plan is sure and steady for me. I will trust in the Lord.

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, “You are my God.”

Psalm 31:14

I will trust in the Lord. He is my God and Savior. I have been justified through the blood of Jesus and His resurrection. I am His! I will trust in the Lord.

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. 

Psalm 56:3

I will trust in the Lord. I trust Him in the good and I trust Him in the bad. I will trust Him in fear and I will follow Him no matter the cost. I will trust in the Lord.

Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah.  Psalm 62:8

I will trust in the Lord. I will trust Him for all things and in all times. He is my refuge, my fortress, and my ever present help. I will trust in the Lord.

How about you?

Tony French

¹² But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel,¹³ so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;¹⁴ and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. ¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill:¹⁶ The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; ¹⁷ but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice. ¹⁹ For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.²¹ For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:14-21

In this passage, Paul is thankful for the preaching of the gospel. The Apostle is thankful and grateful for gospel proclamation no matter the motivation of the preacher. We ought to be thankful as well.

Let us pray for the preaching and teaching of the gospel message. May Christ’s life, death, and resurrection be trumpeted from the rooftops until everyone has heard the good news. Three prayer requests for the preaching and teaching of the Bible shall end this post.

1) Christian, let us pray that Jesus will be preached faithfully. We pray that the pulpits of God’s church will resound with truth week after week as the people of God gather and worship. We pray that the preaching and teaching of the church will be faithful to the Scriptures and faithful to the truth of God’s Word.

2) Believer, may we pray that Jesus will be preached powerfully. Nothing should overshadow the proclamation of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul tell us in 1 Corinthians 1:18, For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. May God’s power rest upon all who announce the good news to every sinner.

3) Child of God, we ought to pray that Jesus will be preached purposefully. Paul said He sought to preach nothing but Christ and Christ crucified. (1 Corinthians 2:2) May Jesus be lifted up deliberately by His people so that all sinners can be drawn unto Him. (John 12:32)

Tony French

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58

Jesus has risen! This truth serves as the linchpin for all of Christianity. Since He arose, we will arose. As Christ was given a new body, we will be given a new body. Christ was raised for our justification. Our sin and guilt have been removed and we have received the righteousness of Christ. He has risen indeed!

Paul ends his discussion about the resurrection in 1 Corinthian 15 with 4 specific commands. Let’s peruse them today. And may our study lead us to greater obedience to Christ.

**Be steadfast. Let us remain settled in the cross. We have been taught the Scriptures and the truths of God. And we should continue to believe and trust them. Others will lay aside the Scriptures and opt for a more “world-friendly” way. Our call is to remain steadfast in the truth no matter the cost.

**Be immovable. The thought here is remaining solid through the trials and tribulations of lie. The storms of life may come but we are to remain constant in our belief no matter the trial. We live by the truth and not by how we feel. Be immovable child of God.

**Abound in the work of the Lord. Because of our salvation, we work and labor for Christ. We work to minister, to serve, and to see others come to know the Savior. But we don’t simply do the bare minimum. Paul calls to abound, to be abundant in our work. Let us give our best effort and our best energy.  May the Lord help us to be excellent in all of our service to Him.

**Remember, your labor is not in vain. Your work, your witness, and your giving will always accomplish much in the kingdom work. We often do not see the end result of our ministry. However, God sees and blesses our service to others.  Our labor is in the Lord. Let us trust Him to use it for His glory!

Tony French   

1 O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly ; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. 3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will praise You. 4 So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, 7 For You have been my help, And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. 8 My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me. 9 But those who seek my life to destroy it, Will go into the depths of the earth. 10 They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be a prey for foxes. 11 But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by Him will glory, For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.   Psalm 63

We believe this psalm was written while David was in his time of wilderness wanderings. The imagery would seem to support that thought.

Have you ever felt that you were in a dry and parched land in a spiritual sense? What do we do in those times? Let’s look at three particular aspects of this psalm and see how God would speak to us in the difficult and dry times of life.

In the times of difficulty, we should desire God’s presence. Trials will either drive you closer to Christ or drive you away from His presence. Choose to run to Christ and seek His presence. This act will not make our circumstances better immediately. Pursuing God will allow us to experience God’s comfort and strength. 

In times of difficulty, we should delight in God’s power. David was far from Jerusalem and distant from all that was familiar to him. Yet, he choose to worship and praise God where he was. He knew God’s power was sufficient to carry him through no matter the trial or tribulation. May we be challenged to think deeply on God’s power all through the day and all through the night.

In times of difficulty, we should depend on God’s protection. David was probably running for his life at the time of this writing. He trusted in God’s power and protection nonetheless. He knew that God would vindicate him in the end. Dear Christian, we will be vindicated as well. There will come a time when all that we have believed will be proven to be true. Let us not shrink back in fear. God is our protection.

God’s power, His presence, and His protection are more than enough. May we rest in Him while we are in the spiritually dry and thirsty places. He will bring us through!

Tony French

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

The words from this verse were spoken by our Savior just before His crucifixion. Jesus conveyed many thoughts in those last hours before the cross. The words in John 16:33 are powerful and ever needed.

Three thoughts emerge from this passage of Holy Writ. First, Jesus desires that Believers have peace in Him. Knowing that sins are forgiven, that heaven is assured, and that hope is eternal in Christ gives peace to the Christian in every circumstance. Peace is not the absence of heartache. Rather, the peace of Christ remains with God’s people no matter the circumstance.

Also, Christ told His followers that we would have trouble in this world. This point should not surprise Christians as we know it is true in our lives. Trials and tribulations are common on this earth. Jesus warned us beforehand that we would experience difficulties. But, the Savior doesn’t stop there.

Finally, Messiah tells Believers that He has overcome the world. Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, eternal life and the forgiveness of sins are granted to all who believe in Him. He has overcome our greatest enemies of sin and death. Therefore, take courage child of God and be of good cheer. Jesus has overcome the world and everything in it. And through the Lord, we will arrive safely to our heavenly home one day.

Hallelujah!

Tony French

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Galatians 6:9

Don’t give up, Christian. Don’t become weary as you seek to live for Christ. It’s not easy and the temptation for live for self is ever-present. Resist that temptation and continue to do good to others. Serve, minister, and love each day. You won’t regret it.

Don’t give up, Christian. You will reap a harvest if you keep going. The faithful farmer is rewarded with crops when he/she prepares for the harvest, plants for the harvest, and waits for the harvest. Believer, you will reap a spiritual bounty if you continue and do not waver.

Don’t give up, Christian. Jesus didn’t give up on us. How can we give up on His calling and His work? The times are difficult and the way can be harsh. We can all agree to that. Nonetheless, don’t give up. It will be worth it all when we see Jesus face to face. It will be worth everything when we come into His eternal presence to stay with Him forevermore.

Don’t give up!

Tony French

From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.  Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.  Psalm 119:104-105

The Word of God is awesome. It teaches us the truth about God, about ourselves, and about our lives. God has revealed Himself to us through His Word and through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible is powerful and authoritative upon all of humankind.

The Bible teaches us and informs us about salvation and the proper way to live. Let us look at what these Scriptures teach us about the powerful, inspired Word of God.

From Your precepts I get understanding. The Scriptures reveal what we need to know. We gain understanding about God’s mercy, God’s purposes, and God’s will when we read and study the Scriptures.

Your word is a lamp to my feet. The Bible serves as a light in the dark times. Our world is full of spiritual darkness. Thankfully, we have been given the light which allows us to see the truth and not stumble in the darkness that is all around us.

A light to my path. The Bible directs us in the good and right ways of God. His commands and precepts light our path and give us direction. You will never go wrong when you obey the Word of God.

Let us commit again to read and study the Bible. It is a miracle given for us. We should read it, study it, and obey it. May the Word of God be blessing to you forevermore!

Tony French

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” ¹⁰ He said, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. ¹² Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” ¹³ And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 18:9-14

God had promised the patriarch a son. Abraham was given many great promises. But all those blessings relied upon the giving of a son, an heir.

This passage tells us that, in miraculous fashion, God would fulfill His covenant and provide Abraham and Sarah a son. Even when it seemed impossible, the Lord delivered on His commitment and gave the patriarch an heir from his own loins.

Even when Sarah doubted, the Lord was true to His Word. Even though Abraham was far from perfect, God fulfilled His covenant to him. What’s the lesson for us? Yahweh is able to do everything He pledges to do even when we doubt and fail.

May our faith be expanded and stretched in the days ahead, Child of God. The Lord is faithful to every promise He has given. We can trust Him and obey Him. And after all, Is anything too difficult for the Lord?

Tony French