Monthly Archives: August 2026

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…CONTENTMENT -17d

Bible Study, ,

“Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For Paul, contentment was not spiritual gift but a lesson learned. This means that, at some stage in his life, he was discontented. He had to go through the process of suffering want…going without…experiencing unpleasant or dangerous circumstances…coming to terms with situations he could not control…repeatedly…or sometimes being overwhelmed with plenty until…gradually…he learned to take everything in his stride without reacting. 

This must have been tough for him…especially since he was  always on the road. He could not settle down to a routine life where he could work, earn a living, and take care of his own needs. He had to rely on God through the thoughtfulness and generosity of others. His life was always unpredictable. His “pantry” and his “purse” were either empty or full. 

So, how did Paul cope with asituations like that?

He learned! 

Paul opened his heart to understand new things…about God and himself. He learned that God loved him…always…unconditionally…in every circumstance. He learned that God was in control of everything about his life…and that nothing happened outside of God’s will. He learned that God was his source…and that He knew about his needs. 

Paul learned that contentment was about trust…about letting go of his compulsion to be in control. He learned that he had to make a choice…to complain about everything he didn’t like or…to be thankful for what he had and to  trust God for what he needed. 

For Paul, the outcome of the lessons he learned was…contentment…a quietness in his spirit that accepted everything he experienced as part of his preparation for the life to come because…God wanted it that way. 

Now, that’s a winning attitude! So, Paul could counsel the Corinthians…

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you…”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭58‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Let nothing move you…” because he had learned…that God is utterly faithful, reliable, and trustworthy…to keep His word!

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…FIRST CONDITION …17c

Bible Study, ,

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Now, here’s another verse that people love to quote out of context…like it’s a guarantee that God will supply every need regardless… In way it is but…the promise also has a context which makes all the difference. 

Paul has spent some time helping his readers to understand the deeper meaning of their generosity to him. Although the money stood at the centre, it was not the money under discussion. It was what the money…and God… said about the Philippians’ gift. 

Their gift…and their repeated generosity to Paul…spoke volumes about God’s grace at work in their hearts. The greed of the old nature had been replaced by one of the heaviest parts of God’s own nature…His compassionate, lavish generosity to His children. God is a giver. They were also becoming true givers and, in their giving, they were getting in on God’s system of providing for His family’s needs. They were learning to keep the supply circulating through giving and receiving. 

Not only that! These Philippians were also being enriched in their spiritual growth…their obedience tapping into the flow of grace…righteous…praise…worship…glorifying God…as the givers and recipients, by their obedience to God’s instructions and the outcome…equality, celebrated God’s goodness together. 

Now, said Paul, in this way (understood), you stand in line for God’s goodness to you. Having, through your generosity to others, tapped into the system of God’s supply, “My God will (also) meet your needs, just as you have met the needs of others (understood).”

Can you see, then, that Phil 4:13 is not an unconditional promise…a blank cheque…but a gracious promise to those who echo the Father’s heart?

Paul didn’t suck this idea out of his thumb. He was teaching his readers what Jesus taught His disciples in His thumbnail sketch of life in God’s kingdom. 

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭31‬-‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

“In Matthew 6:33, “righteousness” (dikaiosune in Greek) means living in a way that pleases God. It is not just about following outward rules. It means having a pure heart, loving others, and doing what is right, fair, and true according to God’s standard.” (Google AI)

In simple words, if we look after God’s business, He will look after ours. 

Jesus said that the Father knows our needs before we ask Him. So why, then, do we keep nagging God about our needs as though He has neglected to be a Father to us. 

When we get into the flow of God’s system of supply in His kingdom…circulating His resources by giving and receiving…we also begin part of the receiving as well as the giving. 

If we don’t show evidence of this grace of giving in our lives, how can we expect God to do for us what we are not prepared to do for others? Why does God meet our needs in this way…because…and here’s the crux of the matter…He has designed this system to work through people…people sharing with people. 

This grace of giving is the way that the fruit of our union with Jesus grows and matures. 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…AND RECEIVING – 17b

Bible Study, ,

“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…”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Giving and receiving…I wonder why Paul wrote about giving and receiving. Learning to give, we understand…but… is there something about receiving that we ought to know?

In our last post, we learned about some of the considerations Paul mentioned about the Philippians’ gifts of money to him…things like… it was not about the money but the message the money carried… about their love, care, and consideration for him when they were the only people who took care of his needs more than once. 

Their gifts were about what God thought about them…He saw their gifts as a fragrant offering and a sacrifice…an act of worship to Him. 

Why was the way these Philippians received help, if at some time they did, as important as the way they gave help to Paul? 

In a previous post, I explained that God’s economic system creates a current. Unlike the world system, which is strictly tit-for-tat…for example I sell, you buy…God teaches us to keep money circulating by giving and receiving.  Since He is generous…giving us liberally whatever we need…we must, in turn, be generous towards others. Again, giving and receiving is a faith partnership with Him. When we give, God gives back but…always through people because that’s the way He has chosen to work. 

We learned that like everything else we do, no matter how mundane it may seem, we do it first to Jesus and then to one another. In this way, we show our love for Him. 

So, He wants us to receive the generosity of others in the same way as we give…not resisting…not reluctant or protesting as some do, thinking that we are being humble or that we really don’t need help when we do. 

Receiving is as much an act of grace as giving because…first, we are part of the circulation of resources. If we are reluctant or refuse to receive… we break the cycle. 

Second, we dishonour God because He is the one who prompts the giver to be generous. 

Third…we rob the giver of the blessing that follows generosity. 

Fourth…and this one really matters…we rob God of the glory due to Him because giving and receiving reflect Him when we keep the resources circulating. God desires equality in His family. We can only experience true equality when we co-operate fully with His plan. 

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬-‭11‬, ‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can you see the outcome of generosity? Both giver and receiver are righteous and blessed, and God receives the praise. 

Paul said something at the end of this teaching that is mostly taught and understood out of context. 

“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!”

What was the gift Paul referred to? Most people immediately think of God’s gift as Jesus but…let’s look at the context. Surely, Paul must have been referring to the grace of giving and receiving as God’s gift to us.  Why? 

Greed, not generosity, is the characteristic of people in the world. People don’t like parting with their money. They want more, not less. They don’t think of money as seed or “currency”, increasing as they sow it or keeping the cycle going so that everyone has enough. The world’s way doesn’t work like God’s way because God is never in the mix. 

Generosity, giving and receiving, is God’s gift to us, marvellous because it involves a change of heart. When we get in on His way, we enter the flow of what the Bible calls “righteousness”. Especially in the Old Testament, righteousness, generosity and mercy are all attributes of God and are interconnected. 

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously (they are full of mercy and give), …I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous (Hebrew-full of mercy), and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭21‬, ‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Another interesting point…the word “children” in verse 25, 26 is actually translated from the Hebrew word for “seed”. 

Our children are our seed for the next generation. In the same way, our money is our seed for the next harvest. If we don’t have children, there will be no seed for the next generation. Likewise, if we don’t sow our “seed”, our money now, we will not have seed for next year…nothing to eat and nothing to sow. 

Paul likened generosity with our money to sowing seed and reaping a harvest of more seed…and righteousness in our hearts and behaviour. 

“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Consider these verses…

“Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 Is Paul not issuing this warning in the context of “the law of the harvest”? What is “sowing to the flesh” here? Is he not referring to greed or stinginess if people fail to support their teachers. He has just instructed his readers to be generous to those who teach them. After all, they depend on the generosity of those who are taught for their income since teaching is their “work”. 

In this context, if they fail to sow, according to the law of the harvest, they will not reap a harvest because this is the way God works. The way we use our money is one of the clearest ways of revealing what is in our hearts. 

Jesus put it like this…

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…not “money” but “Mammon”…greed…the attitude behind money. 

Now, let’s pull this together. 

Giving and receiving are part of the same process…keeping the circulation of God’s resources going… which is the way God distributes His gifts through people, to provide for everyone’s needs. 

We are in partnership with God, both by eating what we need and sowing the seed He provides to keep the seed multiplying so that everyone has enough. This “law of the harvest” from the natural world demonstrates God’s “righteousness” at work in us, contributing  to our righteousness in response to God, and to God’s glory. 

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…GIVING – 17a

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“I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 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; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. 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.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬, ‭14‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It seems that Paul was reluctant to end his letter. He kept adding to his “finally” with more thoughts before he said goodbye. Perhaps he was so aware of his impending death that he wanted to teach them as much as he could before he was no longer with them. 

“Oh, by the way…thank you for your gift via Epaphroditus,”…but, for Paul, just saying “thank you“ wasn’t enough. This was not the first time the Philippians had sent him money but…it wasn’t about the money. The money was the messenger…first, that they cared about him,…second, that they were aware of his needs and…third, that they did something about it. 

More than once, these people were the only ones who sent Paul money when he was travelling around and probably unable to do what brought him an income. 

However, for Paul, the money was not the issue. What the money said and did was of greater importance to him. What did their gifts say to him? 

“Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.”

First…they cared enough about him to look after his needs. That spoke volumes about the love that grace has taught them. Generosity and consideration towards him were the fruit of their union with Jesus. That pleased Paul more than the money itself. 

Second…their generosity was credited to their heavenly “bank account”. 

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

 Paul instructed Timothy…

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Wow! Who would have thought that giving money to someone in need would have such a profound effect on one’s own eternal status?

Third…God also had a perspective of their gift to Paul. 

“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.”

God views whatever we do for someone in need as an acceptable sacrifice offered to Him. 

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭40‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So, Paul elevated the simple act of giving to the level of an act of worship…a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

Imagine how much poorer we would have been had Paul not added his thanks about the money the Philippians had sent him!  

To be continued

PAUL’S HAPPY LETTER…FINALLY – 16 d

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“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Finally, one final thing!

God’s peace is real…present…active…in guarding our hearts and minds from the confusing thoughts that mess with our peace but…how do we keep it that way? What can we do to prevent the conflicting thoughts from intruding into our inner beings?

Paul gives us the practical steps we can take to guard the peace that guards us. Two  ways…

First, take control of your thoughts! Yes, we can discipline our minds to create paths of thinking that protect us from the random thoughts that get us into trouble. 

“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”

Choose what you think about…and keep exchanging your random thinking for disciplined thoughts. When we allow our thoughts to roam…to follow what we see and hear without considering what these thoughts do to us…when it’s time to make decisions, we have no disciplined thought-paths to follow. 

The best way to organise our thinking into useful and positive paths is to fill our minds with God’s Word…what He says about Himself, about us, and about what He thinks of us. When we have issues to face and decisions to make, our thoughts will guide us towards His way, undergirded by His truth. 

When we actively work at disciplining our thoughts, as  I have so often said, we become partners with God. He does something special!

There is a path towards God’s interventions on our behalf that goes even beyond His promise never to abandon us. Yes, He is within us by His Spirit. Yes, He fills heaven and earth. Yes, it is impossible to escape Him, even if we tried, but…

…for those who actively pursue Him…purposefully obey Him and seek His will…there is something more…favour!

“Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭5‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There are two men in Scripture…who experienced God’s favour in a profound way…

Joseph…

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did as he served in the home of his Egyptian master.”

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭39‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David…

“David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This “with” suggests that God’s favour rested on these men so profoundly that they were far more successful in what they did than their peers. 

Paul uses a similar idea…that God will personally accompany those who follow the path of peace with His favour… by walking on the same road that He walks. 

What is that road?

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Solomon, the wise man, gives us the prescription. 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God’s presence…favour…active intervention…is guaranteed to those who fill their hearts and minds with His word, keeping them at peace by blocking anything that tries to intrude.  There will be no place for Satan’s thoughts…to distract and cause confusion…when the mind is pre-occupied with God’s thoughts. 

So, Paul counsels…

“Let the peace of Christ rule (govern our prevail), in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“In the Bible, peace is not merely the quiet absence of trouble or war. It means complete wholeness, health, well-being, and right relationships.” (Source: Google AI)

This is the peace that follows a disciplined thought life and governs everyone who walks on God’s road of wisdom with Him because He is actively for them. 

To be continued