“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.” -Philippians 4:19–20
Be content and be generous. This is the point of Paul's final chapter, and he has been building on finding strength, purpose, and peace in Jesus for all of life. Now come the choice words of being satisfied in little and in much, and of being willing to give it all away for the glory of God.
Paul won't live much longer. His steadfast embrace of the Gospel, and his proclamation of the same, will lead him to a beheading before long; but the truths he deposits are gold for those in Christ.
This is the story of God's real provision. The church has been generous, and Paul wants them to keep it up. Help fund Gospel ministry, help build other churches because of all you have been given in Christ. Then the only provision we need: every need met according to his riches. (This does not mean that God classifies your “desire” for something, say a Tesla, as a need. Here, we're talking about the real things of life.)
Of course, first and foremost is the spiritual need of salvation, granted to us in Christ. But this promise is also for the practical things of life, when all seems hopeless. God provides. In that provision, the New Testament believers were generous to others.
It is easier to recognize this from the place of contentment in knowing that because we have Jesus, everything else is gravy. So today maybe that is where we need to start. Holy Spirit, grant us this Christ-alone level of contentment that Paul writes about. Use it to make us generous people who can recognize the real provision we receive without fail.
This is an excerpt from Depths a daily devotional written by Jonathan Shradar.