18-20 And now I have it all—and keep getting more! The gifts you sent with Epaphroditus were more than enough, like a sweet-smelling sacrifice roasting on the altar, filling the air with fragrance, pleasing God no end. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes. (Philippians 4:18-20 – The Message)
I have a hard time giving away my money to help others. First of all, I can’t give a lot and it probably wouldn’t make a significant impact, then why bother? Secondly, I don’t have enough for myself. How can I give while I am still struggling with my daily living? It’s really hard to share your bread when you are still in hunger. However, through Philippians 4:18-20, Paul reminds me of two things. Firstly, the level of impact should not be a factor of giving. If God is willing, He can use small amount of money to do great things. The only motivation of giving is not how much impact you can make, but how much joy you can bring to God. Secondly, I have to be SURE that God will take care of everything I need and his generosity exceeding even mine. A lot of time, I have doubt, especially when I can not really see the how. I always fall into the trap of focusing on the limitation. I have limited time to earn extra income. I have limited knowledge of financial planning. I have limited resources to resolve financial problems. When I focus only on the limitations, I forget about the infinite God. Trusting God is not something to be said or to be known. It is something to be experienced. Without taking the first step, I don’t think I can truly be sure that God will take care of EVERYTHING I need. I pray that God would grant me courage to send out sweet-smelling sacrifice, so I can experience His power and faithfulness. And I’ll definitely pray for you as well.
“You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus.”
