Got Fruit ?

In light of the financial “crisis” that this nation may be headed for, I thought that I would drop a few words of commentary and prayerfully,encouragement.  The following snippet comes from a September 2007 post, credit does and should however go to men much wiser and learned than myself in their explanations of the Scripture and the ancient Greek language.  Just sharing what they have put effort into actually learning…

Philippians 4:6 (KJV)
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Personal thoughts & comments on Philippians 4:6, are that the basic idea seems to be that Paul is saying that there is no need to worry or fret over circumstances; instead let God handle those things that we are concerned about, by praying to Him about them, and giving earnest thanks to Him for what we have.

The things that we have, are not necessarily limited to just temporal possessions and life situations. We should give God thanks for His love for us. We should always thank Him for giving into the believer the Holy Spirit to guide us. Above all thank God for His grace and mercy bestowed upon us, by giving His only Son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us of our sins. Some further explanation and insight of Philippians 4:6 by Rick Renner, author of “Sparkling Gems”.

One of the words from Philippians 4:6 that Renner explains is the word “careful”. When we see the word “careful” we usually tend to use it in the sense of being cautions or mindful. See the following definition(s) of how the word “careful” is used in modern day English, plus the “Archaic” context of the word. The fifth definition (5 a. and 5 b.) as we will find out is closer to what the Greek meant in their use of the word “careful”, concerning Philippians 4:6.

care~ful-adjective

• cautious in one’s actions: Be careful when you cross the street.
• taking pains in one’s work; exact; thorough: a careful typist.
  of things) done or performed with accuracy or caution: careful research.
• solicitously mindful (usually fol. by of, about, or in): careful of the rights of others; careful about one’s behavior; careful in speech.
• Archaic. a. troubled b. attended with anxiety

The word “careful” comes from the Greek word MERIMNAO, which means: 1. to be troubled 2. to be anxious (worry) 3. to be fretful 4. to be worried about something. The Greek used the word MERIMNAO (careful) during New Testament times primarily in conjunction with the following situations: 1. worry about finances 2. worry about hunger 3. worry about basic provisions of life. Some examples of worrying that plagued the Greek:

• worry about paying bills
• worry about tax collectors
• worrying about having enough money to buy food or to purchase clothing for one’s family

To read the rest of the post go here.

Grace and peace be with you