Overjoyed with the Philippians’ renewed financial support for him in his ministry, the apostle effuses with commendation for them. Apparently they had previously helped him with his expenses and travel needs, but a hiatus for an undetermined amount of time had interfered with their otherwise faithful support for him. Maybe it was a logistical problem or possibly the Philippians had some temporary financial setback. It is even possible their interest had lagged; as the old saying goes, “Out of sight, out of mind.” Whatever the case, their interest in supporting Paul was restored.

Paul doesn’t chastise them or in any way make them feel guilty. He simply commends them for their support and lets them in on his inner joy in the Lord. One application here might go like this: when we give to support people serving in ministry, we are not only allowing God to use us to support them in their work, but we are causing their joy in the Lord to abound. And if our hearts are knit together with the Lord’s, then we rejoice in the Lord as well, knowing we are used by God.

While his thankfulness to them is implicit, Paul rejoiced “in the Lord greatly.” The Philippians were simply the conduit of God’s provisions. Paul knew that their monetary support was ultimately from God. In fact, he trusted the Lord to supply, and he recognized God’s hand in providing for him.

There is a subtle but profound point to be made here. When a minister of the gospel looks to people as the source of his support rather than to God, a whole host of difficulties arise. Will they stop giving support if he preaches a message they don’t like or if they don’t think he is working hard or long enough? Do salaries and benefit packages become negotiable? Does the giver (or giving institution) become master to the receiver? The temptation can arise to preach to the source of the support and neglect those who cannot “pay” as much. Then there can be bitterness because of low incomes or pay scales as compared to worldly careers or selecting ministry opportunities based on pay.

One is reminded of Mr. Bill Bright (founder of Campus Crusade) who insisted on living at the same income level as the rest of the Crusade staffers. Or George Mueller, who, following Paul’s pattern, never asked for money for his orphanage ministry or for himself. One cannot serve God wholeheartedly while trusting in people to provide his needs. Only God can do that.