Is your giving a sweet smelling sacrifice?
I have received full payment and even more; 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. –NIV – Phil 4:18
I saw something this morning in my quiet time I don’t think I realized before. I was reading in Philippians and in chapter four I came to 2 fairly well known verses that get quoted A LOT and sometimes (probably most of the time) out of context. Here are the 2 verses…
Phil 4:13 – I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength-NIV
Phil 4:19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. -NIV
The learning to share is that I never saw before that these 2 verses are in the context of money, finances, and giving!!!!
Paul’s reference to “doing everything in Christ who gives me strength” is directly related to contenment! Basically, he is saying “I can do everything, be content, through Christ who gives me the strength to be content“, with financial/material abundance or financial/material hardship.
Also, he has learned that his needs will be met through the sweet smelling God pleasing sacrifices (giving) of others. Apparently, the Philippian Christians were generous in their supply to meet Paul’s needs. By my count in just a couple of verses Paul references at least 4x they gave him money to help his needs!! Their giving was a sweet smelling sacrifice that was acceptable and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1) which allowed Paul to realize that God will meet his needs according to the riches of Christ and help him to continue in being content with abundance or lack!!
What a powerful truth!! Our giving is powerful!! Our giving can be a sweet-smelling-God-pleasing sacrifice!! Is mine? Is yours? – hmmm!
MK
LEARNINGS TO SHARE... 
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