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Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions. This is our look at Philippians, chapter
4, verses 14 to 23, day 5 of our look at chapter 4, and the last day of our look
together at the book of Philippians. It's gone fast, this incredible book with
so much truth.

We talked yesterday about the fact that God cares about our finances, and that
if I'm going to experience joy, I have to realize that I have to see God as a
part of my financial situation. It's my finances, it's me, it's also God. It's a
relationship.

And yesterday we talked about how you feel about the circumstances that you're
in financially. Verses 14 to 23 remind us that if I'm going to have joy in my
finances, I have to also have mature giving. Mature giving results in joy.

In one sense, we should all carry around stickers, I think, that say
opportunity. We could stick them on everything in our lives. Everything that God
places into your hands.

Your monthly check, your car, your entertainment, everything you own. They're
all just a stewardship for you to manage. That's what the word "steward" means,
manager.

For you to manage for God's sake. So the word "opportunity" placed on that
thing, even mentally, would be a great big reminder that it's an opportunity to
praise God, to love people, to express your faith. But in order to do that, you
have to give to other people.

Paul talks about mature giving and mature receiving in these verses. Not just
giving, but also receiving. Sometimes we give to others, sometimes others give
to us.

So how do I give in a mature way? How do I receive in a mature way that results
in joy? Well, the Philippians were an example of mature giving.

One of many in the Bible. As you walk through these verses of Philippians
chapter 4, verses 14 to 23, you see this example played out. In fact, a couple
of verses earlier, back in verse 10, you see the first clue I would see that's
an example of mature giving.

Mature giving, we've got four things we're going to talk about here. Mature
giving gives out of concern for others. Back in verse 10, Paul says, "I rejoice
greatly that at last you've renewed your concern for me.

" Why do you give? Do you give because you must out of some legalistic reason?
Do you give because you'll get out of selfishness?

If I give to God, he has to give back to me. Do you give because you've got out
of guilt? Well, I have so much.

Maybe I should give a little to somebody else. Do you give because you did out
of habit? That wasn't the Philippians' motivation.

Those are all motivations that won't last. The Philippians' motivation is a
motivation that will last. They gave because they cared.

Give because you care. You gave because you were concerned for me. I can't
really say I'm concerned about others if it's not reflected in my giving, in my
pocketbook.

You give out of concern for others. That's mature giving. The second indication
in the life of the Philippians is they gave with an awareness of needs.

"It was good of you to share with me in my troubles," Paul says in verse 14.
They knew he was going through some tough times. They knew what was going on in
his life.

We should give with an awareness of the need. We should give with an awareness
of what the Bible has to say about our giving. You don't just give emotionally.

Oh, wow, that person made an appeal on television that made me feel like giving.
No, you give informed by God and informed by the situation. God in his word
tells us, Jesus says, "I will build my church.

" That's why you give to the church because Jesus is building his church. Jesus,
through his church, meets the needs in the world. Is it mature to leave in God's
hands?

"Well, I'll give this and I'll just sort of, I don't know whether I can trust
that group or not, but I'll hope it's going to be used in the right way. " No,
you check out the ministries that you're giving to. You should give to the
church Jesus is building.

You can also give to other ministries, but if you do, you should check out those
ministries. The reason I like giving to the church is you can see immediately
how responsibly that is being used, but whoever you give to, however you give,
you give with an awareness of the needs. Third indication of mature giving in
the life of the Philippians, and I love this one, is they gave when no one else
gave.

That's mature. When I give when no one else gives. In verse 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.

" They gave out of obedience to God. They didn't wait to see who'll go first.
They just did it because they love God.

That's how you give when no one else gives. You're not giving comparing yourself
to someone else. A lot of giving is done in that way today.

I'd like to give more than they gave. It's a comparison and a competition. Now
giving is motivated by your love for God.

You give out of obedience to him. That's mature giving. And then in verse 16, a
fourth indication is they gave again and again.

They gave out of concern for others. They gave with an awareness of needs. They
gave when no one else gave, and they gave again and again.

Even in Thessalonica, Paul writes in verse 16, "You sent me aid again and again
when I was in need. " They didn't think, "Hey, it's someone else's turn now.
We've done our part.

Someone else has to step up to the plate. " They realized God's given to us, so
we need to give to others. And it doesn't really matter what someone else does.

God's riches in your life are not an invitation to luxury. They are an
opportunity for generosity. Money is not just a privilege.

It is a responsibility. That's why the New Testament calls it this stewardship
or this management. And the truth of the matter is when it comes to joy in our
finances, there is no greater burden than trying to hold on tightly to what
you've determined is yours.

The joy comes when you realize we're just managers. We're just managers of what
God has graciously given in this world, and we can be generous with it because
the truth of the matter is we only have it for a brief amount of time, and then
we're going to be where all the riches are for all of eternity with God in His
presence in eternity. That's mature giving.

That's where joy comes from. There are no more joyful people than giving people.
Paul also in these verses reminds us of mature receiving.

Some people don't like to receive. They only like to give. But Paul says you
need to be mature in receiving sometimes, too.

That's where joy comes from. Sometimes you have a need, and you need to allow
someone else to meet that need in your life. Paul did as powerful as he was in
the gospel of Jesus Christ, as significant as his ministry was.

He wasn't afraid to receive from others and to express to him his gratefulness.
So how do I receive in a mature way? If I'm in need and someone meets that need?

Well, Paul reminds us of a few things here. Mature receiving, number one,
focuses on the benefit to the giver. In verse 17, as we walk through these
verses, Paul says to the Philippians, "Not that I'm looking for a gift, but I am
looking for what might be credited to your account.

" Mature receiving, you don't look at the gift and say, "Wow, look at that.
That's really cool," and you run it over in your mind all that it is and all
that it could do. You're grateful for the gift.

You see what it could do, but your mind immediately goes to what God's going to
do in the life of the people who gave, how He's going to affect their hearts
because they gave. And you're grateful for that more than anything. And because
of that, you don't keep them from giving.

You don't selfishly keep them from giving because you pridefully are afraid to
receive. You realize God's doing something in their life because they gave.
Mature receiving focuses on the benefit for the giver.

Number two, mature receiving is satisfied with the gift. It's not looking for
more somehow. I mean, if you took your kids to Disneyland and it's like 11
o'clock at night and you're on the way home and they said, "Hey, can we go by
for ice cream and a movie on the way home?

" That would be pretty immature. They weren't satisfied with Disneyland. They
needed something more.

Well, Paul says in the first part of verse 18, "I have received full payment and
even more. I am amply supplied now that I have received from Epaphroditus the
gifts that you sent. " You remember Epaphroditus from chapter two, this fellow
worker of Paul who'd been sent from the Philippians.

Paul says, "I am grateful for the gift. I'm satisfied with the gift. " You'd be
satisfied with what God has given.

Sometimes when you get a gift, you look at it and let's just be honest. You
think, "Well, if it could have just been a little bit more. " Well, God knew
what he was giving through the giver and so you'd be satisfied with that and
realize it's what God wants to use.

Be satisfied with the gift. And the third thing that happens in mature receiving
is you see the real value of the gift. You see it as God sees it.

You focus on the benefit of the giver. You're satisfied with the gift and you
see the real value of the gift. The last part of verse 18, going into verse 19,
Paul says, "The gifts, the offerings, they are a fragrant offering, an
acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ
Jesus. " Paul gives three descriptions of a gift that's given from the right
heart here. He says, "A fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to
God.

" That's the picture. He realized the real value of the gift is the praise that
it gives to God, the joy that it brings to the heart of God. In this
relationship between God and you and your money, you realize that when you give
or when others give and you benefit, that the one who's pleased most is God our
Father and the one who is glorified most is God our Father.

And so that's why he says in verse 19, "God will meet your needs according to
his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. " That's the real value, the value of what
Jesus Christ alone can do in our lives. Hebrews 13, 5 says, "Keep your lives
free from the love of money and be content with what you have because God has
said, 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.

'" You focus on that. Now, as we come to the close of Philippians chapter 4,
verses 20 to 23 say, "To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

" "Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus. " Remember, a saint is anyone who's a
believer in the New Testament. "Greet all the saints in Christ Jesus.

The brothers who are with me send greetings. " All the saints send you
greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar's household. Apparently, Paul
had one son to Christ who were in Caesar's household.

Those guards from Caesar's household that had been chained to him probably
carried the message into the household of Caesar and they became believers. And
then in verse 23, he ends by saying, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with
your spirit. Amen.

" As we come to the end of Philippians, we've looked together at how joy can be
released and realized and recognized and enjoyed in our daily lives. I have to
tell you that I needed to be reminded of joy as I taught through this. Even
though years ago when I was in college, I memorized this book, The Book of
Philippians, and I've run through this book hundreds of times in my mind at one
time or another.

The truth is you can have the truth in your mind, but you're not enjoying it,
realizing it in your life because you have to apply it moment by moment and day
by day. Maybe you need to be reminded too. Joy is not found in a single event or
feeling.

Joy is found in a God-given process of life. And the places where we most often
lose our joy are the very places that God is working to give us joy. Philippians
has shown us how joy is released in eight specific areas of our lives.

They're the areas where we either win joy or lose joy because of our response to
God. So let me remind you of those eight areas and put alongside that reminder a
verse where God tells us how to live out joy when it comes to people. "I thank
my God in all my remembrance of you and pray with joy in my every prayer for you
all.

" When it comes to problems, to live as Christ, to die as gain, that puts your
problems in perspective. In the area of potential, have this attitude in
yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who did not consider equality with
God something to be grasped, but he humbled himself. When it comes to your job,
risk yourself for the work of Christ, like Epaphroditus did.

In the area of your past accomplishments, count it a loss in order that you
might gain Christ. In the area of your future plans, press on towards the goal
for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. That's how you
experience joy.

When it comes to your thoughts, whatever is good, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, if there's anything
that's excellent or worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on those things. And
in the area of your finances, my God shall supply all your needs according to
his riches and glory in Christ Jesus. Thank you for being a part of this study
of Philippians.

It's been a great study together about joy, and I want to encourage you, don't
stop now. We're going to continue to go through the books of the New Testament
together, so pick one of the other books that we've done in the past and go
through that, or stay with us for the next book, 10 minutes a day, a chapter a
week, a book at a time, and we'll learn the Bible together. I leave you with
Paul's words from Philippians chapter 4 verse 13, "I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.