The Gospel in a Thank You Note

4:10-20 "But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs. Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

The Philippians sent Paul some money, since he was in chains. Among other things, this letter is Paul’s thank you note to the Philippians.

To send a thank you note when someone does something nice to you is an appropriate courtesy. But Paul can’t stop there. The life and love of Christ are bursting forth from this man with such vitality that he can’t just say:

"Dear Philippians, Thank you very much for the kind gift that you sent me. It will really help me while I am in prison. I hope you all are doing well. Hope to see you soon. Sincerely, Paul."

Paul is so captivated by Christ, he is so aflame with Christ, that he must turn everything he says into a song about Christ.

As Gordon Fee says, "Although this passage belongs in part to the conventions of ‘friendship,’ as with all such cultural conventions, in Paul’s hand they are transformed into gospel."

You see, for Paul, everything is done "in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col.3:17), everything is done "to the glory of God" (1Cor.10:31).

This is the man whose motto is, "For me to live is Christ." That’s all there was for Paul! And to the extent that our lives are more than that, they are actually less. The closer we are to being able to honestly say, "For me to live is Christ" the fuller and richer our lives are. The farther we are from saying that, the emptier and shallower our lives are. When we add to Jesus, we always get less, not more.

O Father, my life is so ordinary because it is so filled with me. May my life instead become so filled with Your blessed Son that everything I do shines for His glory. May the people around me see not me but You as they observe my life. Help me to interpret every circumstance in my life as Your call and my opportunity to honor the name of Your blessed Son before men and angels.