Issue 11 - Day 4

Philippians 4

Philippians 4:16-19
16)  For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity.
17)  Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.
18)  But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
19)  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The area of our lives that is usually last to submit to God is our wallets! When we give to God, and to his work it is pleasing to God, like a fragrant sacrifice in old times. When we fail to give we miss out on the blessings God has for us.

God always operates strange maths as well. Some years ago, when times were hard for us, we were not tithing. We would give what we could at the end of the month. Every month something would break expensively, and so there was rarely anything left by then. In fact we operated from an overdraft! One Sunday we were challenged about giving and decided to make sure we gave as soon as I got paid, before anything else came out. Things still broke, expenses still arose, yet somehow we always made it to the end of the month with extra to pay off our debts. God works strange maths. On the other side I have often seen people promise a certain amount to God, fail to give it, and see it taken from them be some disaster in their lives, precisely to the penny!

The Philippians did not give out of their excess, as it says they had need, but to see Paul blessed. Paul encouraged this so that they in turn would be blessed by God. The key here is not that Paul’s need would be supplied by God, but that those giving would have their needs met. God has no credit limit.