Daily Devotional Thoughts
Word for Today | Day 288
Good morning this is Ken Day from Victory Church in Morrie, North Carolina with your daily devotion. In the previous recent devotion I was using Luke chapter 6 verse 38, "Give and that shall be given unto you." Today I also want to look at giving and receiving. Giving and receiving into the Lord's work, and this is very specific. It's in the book of Philippians, it's in the fourth chapter. The Apostle Paul is writing a letter corresponding with the Philippian church about giving and receiving. And he's talking about financial giving and receiving here. And it says that giving and receiving that he's just not for himself because he's learned how to have things and he's learned how at times not to have things. He mentions that he can do all things through Christ which strengthens him in the 13th verse. But here I want to concentrate on 15 and 16, 17 and 18. It says, "Now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving but ye only." For even in Thessalonica, ye sent once and again unto mind necessity, in other words, his needs, they sent financial help. Not because I desire a gift, but because I desire fruit, they may abound on your account. Notice this here. He didn't desire the gift that they sent him. He wanted them to send them the gift so they understood the biblical principles of giving and receiving. It says not because I desire the gift. I desire that you have fruit that abound on your account. It says in the next verse, "But I have all and abound and am full. Having received of Ephrodite as the things that were sent from you, that gift, an odor, a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God. And here's a key for you and I, but my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Here we see that in our giving, our giving to the church, our giving to the poor, our giving to those in need. We are the hands and the feet, eyes, mouth of Jesus. And because we do that giving, we receive fruit that's abounded to our account. In other words, an account. There are builds up an account for us. That we can withdraw on when we are in need and the way to build up our account is to give, but we also have to understand how to receive from others from God. And God uses other people. You know, we have to learn like the Apostle Paul. In our giving, we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us. Those times when we don't have anything to give. This church, they gave, they were poor. They gave a sacrificial giving. But they understood the principles that God has laid down in his word for abundant life by giving and receiving. So that we can have fruit that abounds in our account. Today, give of yourself, a give of your finances to God's work, to the poor, or wherever God leads you to give today. And you can keep in mind that you have your own account and the fruit will come out for you one day for being a giver. May God bless you today.