They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:18b-19
“When we know we have freely received love, we are empowered to freely give love. To give from a surrendered place of faith, hope, and love rather than from a posture of expectation of return is a profound risk. We so often think of sacrificial giving as giving till it hurts or giving some percentage of our wealth we think we can’t afford to give. I’m beginning to think that’s just another worldly way of thinking about money. True giving, which is to say sacrificial giving, cannot be measured in amounts, percentage or otherwise. It is the manifestation of a surrendered soul in love for God and others. When giving to God for others is done in this fashion, which cannot be faked, what comes back to the giver from God through others is so surprisingly extraordinary and so completely free that they wonder why they didn’t give more. And they usually do…They have entered into an economy that cannot be explained by mathematical accounting. My best understanding is this is what Paul means in today’s text when he says this to the Philippians concerning their giving.”
J.D Walt in an excerpt of “Why Most Giving Falls Short of True Giving” from The Seedbed Daily Text on 17 May 2021. J.D. Walt is a friend and brother. If you want a daily email that will walk you through the Scriptures, subscribe here.
A common question people ask about giving relates to amount. How much should I give? If you are asking this question, let me offer you this word of advice linked to today’s Scripture.
The kind of giving Jesus celebrated and the kind of giving Paul describes as “acceptable” is sacrificial. It gives more than it can spare showing it is functioning in God’s economy.
So how do I explain it when J.D. rightly notes that it cannot be explained by mathematical accounting? In plain terms, it’s when you trust God and not yourself to meet your needs.
The first step to becoming such a surrendered soul and living in God’s economy is acknowledging your insufficiency and God’s all sufficiency. From there, give Him any and every need you have.