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Philippians 4:10-23 Devotional

Start by reading Philippians 4:10-23

In this passage, Paul is concluding his letter. He ends it by thanking the Philippian church for partnering with him financially. It seems that they were one of the only churches that cared enough to take up an offering for him, and Paul wants to recognize their gift and give a little theology to undergird their generosity. And in Verse 19, we learn that we have a glorious God who gives from his riches to everyone that’s in Christ.

Christian, God is going to give you everything you need according to his riches in glory. The glory of God is rich. This is a God with an entourage of creatures that have multiple faces, who rides a chariot with wheels that go in every direction at once, who shows up and storms start to kick up, and leaves behind a trail of gemstones and light when he leaves. This God lacks nothing–and he’s going to supply your needs according to that glory and those riches. He’s got resources, and he’s not stingy.

But also notice, this supply comes to you in Christ. Make no mistake: this is for Christians. If you’re not a Christian, you have no promise that God will supply your needs. He may do it; he is very gracious. But it’s not a promise.

Now, what does this supply look like? It’s everything you need. We learn from other passages that it’s not always everything you want. God determines your need because he knows you best. Sometimes you need the lesson of having to trust him–that’s Paul’s secret in verse 12. Sometimes, what you really need is to be brought to the point where you can say with Paul, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” That’s fruit, like in verse 17. 

But sometimes, you really need the stuff, and God gives that too. In fact, often he gives you more than you need! Remember, he has resources. At the core of this passage, we see Paul’s conviction that our Father is a good Father who gives good gifts to us. That’s Paul’s bedrock trust, his foundational perspective, and he got it from Jesus–just look at a passage like Matthew 7:7-11.

So, Doxa, we have a glorious God who gives from his riches to everyone that’s in Christ. May we learn to say, with Paul, that God will supply every need of ours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

 

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