“It Is More Blessed to Give than to Receive” Philippians 4:15–20
15 Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only;
16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.
17 Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.
18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. 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.
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The Philippian church was the only church that continued to support Paul’s needs from the very moment he left them. Even when he ministered in Thessalonica for only about a month, they sent help several times. Later, when Paul was in Corinth, they sent offerings as well. And now, about ten years after Paul had left Philippi, while he was in Rome, the Philippians once again remembered him and sent Epaphroditus with financial support. Considering the poor state of transportation and communication at that time, the fact that they could even locate Paul after ten years and still help him shows their extraordinary care and love.
Paul calls them “a church that partnered with me.” Even if we cannot directly preach the gospel, travel to mission fields, or proclaim it ourselves, we can still participate in the work of the gospel. For this reason, Paul greatly rejoiced in the love of the Philippian believers. He confessed,
“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me.”
The ultimate source of joy is the Lord Himself. While we can experience joy in our personal relationship with Him, we also experience great joy in the Lord when we receive love from fellow believers. When we love one another, we become sources of joy to each other.
Verse 17 “I am not looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.”
Paul rejoiced not because of the gift itself, but because of the love of the Philippian believers. He longed for them to bear abundant fruit through their generosity and service. In the end, a life of giving to others is also a life that benefits ourselves.
That is why Paul reminded the Ephesian elders:
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)
The Lord clearly said that giving is more blessed than receiving. Thus, God’s call for us to care for others, to give, and to help is in fact an invitation into a blessed life.
Verse 18b “They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.”
To remember and support those who proclaim the gospel is not only a life that bears fruit but also a fragrant sacrifice pleasing to God. It is worship. Helping believers in need, especially gospel workers, is to offer to God an acceptable sacrifice that delights Him. With temporary resources, we can bring joy to the eternal God.
In a generation that worships wealth as a god, when we dedicate our resources to help fellow believers, it becomes a confession that we are not serving money, but God Himself.
The Philippians, even in the midst of severe trials and extreme poverty, pleaded for the privilege of giving to support other believers. Their attitude was truly that of worshipers who pleased God. (2 Cor. 8:2–4)
Verse 19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”
A life of generosity and care for others is the key to experiencing God’s abundant provision. The measure of abundance is not how much we own but how much we share with others. Those who truly believe the Lord’s words—“It is more blessed to give than to receive”—and live them out will experience God’s rich and abundant work in their lives.
Verse 20 “To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
When we give and share, we reveal the love of God, who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all. The writer of Proverbs says,
“Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” (Prov. 14:31)
Through our acts of generosity, we glorify God and worship Him.
Paul also exhorted the Ephesian believers:
“Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Eph. 5:2)
As Christ gave Himself for us, when we share a part of what we have for the sake of others, we are following in His steps and becoming more like Him.
In the end, when the Lord tells us to “store up treasures in heaven,” He is calling us to use our temporary earthly possessions to help those in need, to worship God, to glorify Him, to become like Christ, and to experience God’s abundant provision.
A life of giving is a wise life—it is investing temporary possessions into eternal value. How blessed it is that by offering what is measurable and small, we may live for what is immeasurable and eternal!
The call to care, to share, and to give is nothing less than God’s invitation into a truly blessed life.
May I, and may our church, like the Philippians, never consider helping those in need or supporting gospel workers as optional or secondary, but rather as our sacred privilege. May we be a giving and generous church that glorifies God and worships Him through our sharing.
I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ.
