Giving and Receiving

Scripture Reading

Philippians 4:10-20

10 I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

14 Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. 17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Devotional

You’ve probably heard a million times that it’s better to give than receive, but why is that the case exactly? This passage from Paul to the Philippians addresses the why. See, Paul has learned to be joyful in every circumstance, but it made him truly happy to see the Philippians helping him financially when he needed it. In fact, he mentions they were the only ones who did. Paul walked in faith, remained prayerful, and knew God would provide for him because he was out spreading the Good News like God called him to do. But the thing about God is that when God answers a prayer, it is already designed for maximum impact. So, when God touched the hearts of the Philippians to help out Paul, he provided for Paul, and also blessed the Philippians who responded in faith.

Verse 18 compares their financial gift to a sweet-smelling offering that is acceptable to God. Paul realizes that that gift was not just helping him, but it was like the church giving their first and best offering to God himself. And when I think back to gift giving, there’s a couple other scriptures that come to mind. The first is 1 Corinthians 9:7:

7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And the second is Genesis 4:2-5:

…Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor…

A lot of times when we hear “God loves a cheerful giver” that’s where the sentence ends, but what is often left out when quoting that scripture is that what you give is in accordance to what’s in your heart to give. So, it’s not just about your attitude, it’s also about your heart. Your attitude can be described as whether or not you want to give a gift to begin with, your heart decides the quality of the gift you’re giving. Now let’s tie that into what happens in Genesis 4:2-5 where we see that Cain and Abel were giving an offering to God. Cain brought what he thought was a decent gift, some fruit from the land he was tending, and then his brother Abel brought fat portions from his firstborn flock. The Lord was happy with Abel’s gift, but not pleased with Cain’s. Why is that?

Cain knew he should give a gift, he even seemed to think it was a reasonably good gift. It can be inferred that Cain didn’t do something absurd like giving God spoiled fruit, but it can be inferred that it wasn’t the best of what he had to offer. If he had come to God with the best and most beautifully ripened fruit from his first harvest, it may have been a different story. Abel, who tends to flocks did bring his first and his best to God and that’s why God looked on his offering so favorably. It’s also important to note that God didn’t instruct either of them to give their first and their best, they gave in accordance to what was in their heart. Cain gave what he thought was good enough and Abel wanted God to receive the best of what he was blessed with. Now let’s revisit the passage from Philippians 4.

In Philippians 4:18-19, Paul says that the financial gift that he received from their church was like a sweet-smelling offering that is pleasing to God. That sounds a lot like Abel’s gift from Genesis and that speaks to their heart as well. They just gave generously with what they believed would be a blessing to him and God’s ministry. In turn, Paul is elated because he knows that God will meet all of their needs and ends the passage by giving glory to God.

In life, sometimes we are the ones who have the opportunity to give and sometimes we are the ones who need a blessing. If today the Spirit move you to give, the major takeaway here is to give from your heart and if your heart is aligned with God, then it will be a gift truly pleasing to not just the recipient, but to God as well. And when you give with God in mind, you can be assured that God will meet your needs as well. Now, if you’re finding yourself in need of a blessing, you can be assured that God will give you everything you need and more. Just stand steadfast in faith, stay joyful in your circumstances knowing God will answer you, and give glory to God when your needs are met. Let’s pray.

Prayer

Father God, thank you being a God who gives generously and abundantly. Thank you for always tending to my needs during times of abundance and in a drought. I’ve always made it through because of you. I pray that you will give me opportunities to both give and receive in accordance to what’s in my heart and I pray that my heart be aligned with your will. Help me to be like Abel and give my first and best when called and help me to be like Paul when I receive a blessing from you – expressing thanks and giving confidence to the giver and the glory to you for your providence. In Jesus’ name, Amen.