Thankfulness & Gratitude

Over the past 12 weeks, we have been working through the book of Philippians together. Throughout this series, we’ve seen how God was at work in the Philippian church and the joyful affection that Paul had for these people. He encouraged them, and us, all through this letter to joyfully serve the Lord without selfish ambition or vain conceit. To live humbly, trusting God to finish what He started within us, and to count all things as a loss so that we might be found in Christ. Through it all, we’ve seen that Jesus Himself is the greatest treasure and desire of the Christian heart - and that when we live that way, we can have contentment, peace, and joy in a way that surpasses human understanding. Today, we are finishing up this series by looking at Paul’s closing remarks in Philippians 4:13-23 and seeing how thankfulness and generosity can help us be fruitful Christians.

Giving & Receiving The Godly Way

In Philippians 4:14-23, we see that Paul thanks the Philippians for being “the only ones who gave [him] financial help when [he] first brought [them] the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia.” Paul is thanking the Philippians for being willing to support his ministry - even when nobody else did. What is interesting about the Church in Philippi is that they were not a wealthy community. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 gives us insight into their poverty - but also into the great joy with which they gave. 

The church in Philippi provides an example to us of what it means to give joyfully, even when it stretches our pocket books. Paul’s response also gives us an example of what it means to receive generosity with humility and gratitude - not entitlement or false humility. Paul says in verse 17 that he didn’t want their giving - but he wants them to receive a reward for their kindness. He encourages the Philippians that their gifts are “a sweet smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (verse 18). Paul receives support in such a way that he is more grateful for the work that God is going to do in the lives of those who give than he is for the money that they bless him with. This is what it looks like to give and receive in a godly way. To give generously and joyfully - and to receive humbly and with eyes that see beyond the gift toward the heart of the giver - and ultimately, to the heart of our Father.

Generosity Strengthens Our Relationships

Generosity is essential in the body of Christ. All throughout the letter to the Philippians, we have seen the warmth with which Paul refers to this church body. Now - we can see some of what caused that warmth. The Philippians were more than just brothers and sisters in Christ to Paul. They expressed their affection for him by giving - not out of abundance, but in their need. Paul shares to the Corinthians that the Church in Philippi was “being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will” (2 Corinthians 8:2-3). 

The Philippian church did not use their unfortunate situation as an excuse to withhold generosity. They trusted the Lord with what they had and were faithful to the call of being generous. Paul didn’t ask them to give. They did so of their own accord, and out of the immense joy and compassion that welled up within them. 

Knowing that they were impoverished - is it likely that their giving was putting Paul up in the Jewish equivalent of a 5-star hotel? No. Not likely at all. But generosity is not about how much you have. It’s a heart posture that allows you to give abundantly and sacrificially - whether you have much or you have little. God designed the church to be a community, a body of believers that is marked by giving. 

Generosity is not only about giving! It is also about being generous with our hearts, our prayers, our relationships, and our homes. Philippians 4:14 shows us that the Philippians shared with Paul in his difficulty. They bore his burdens with him. 

We have to choose between being people marked by the same kind of generosity that Paul saw in the church at Philippi, or people marked by stinginess. Generosity lets us be open handed and open hearted with whatever the Lord has given us. Stinginess closes our hands, forcing us to protect our time, resources, and emotional energy by withholding it from God and others. Proverbs 11:24-25 says “Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

The great irony is that when we are stingy, we end up isolating ourselves from the blessings of community and the refreshment that comes from a generous heart. But when we are willing to give ourselves away - we experience community and refreshment in a beautiful way. Generosity doesn’t just build a community where people’s needs are met. It builds a community of refreshment and joy - where we can enjoy the same warm relationships we see like those between Paul and the Philippians. We are called to be generous - with much and with little, with our time, our love, our kindness, our prayers, and our hearts. 

Thankfulness Bears Fruit

Generosity builds up our relationships with one another, and thankfulness bears fruit within those relationships. Paul oozes gratitude in his letter to the Philippians. He starts off the letter in Philippians 1 by telling the Philippians that “everytime I think of you, I give thanks to my God” (verse 3). He thanks the Philippians again in the beginning of chapter 4, and now once again at the end. Paul doesn’t just give a blanket “thank you for the money” and then move on to sharing about his life and journey. Rather, he expresses heartfelt gratitude and sees beyond the financial blessing that they shared with him to encourage the Philippians about what God was doing through their generosity. 

Paul could easily have received their giving with an entitled heart. He experienced much difficulty during his missionary journeys. He needed support! He could have thanked the Philippians for their gift, but reminded them of the continued need he had for support. He doesn’t do that. He instead says that he does not have any need for the money - because he has all he needs in Christ (Philippians 4:10-13). It’s easy to appreciate Paul’s instructions in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 when we realize that he lived it - constantly. “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Gratitude is a habit that we must cultivate daily. We must be like Paul - finding the time and the rhythms to say thank you regularly to God and to each other. We can train our hearts to live in a posture of thankfulness, if only we start giving thanks in all circumstances. This bears fruit in our relationships. When we start to live filled with gratitude, our attention is suddenly drawn upwards. Away from our needs, away from the gifts themselves or how much may be lacking, and onto the people who God is using to bless us in the seasons we are in. Onto God Himself, from whom all good gifts flow.

Thankfulness expressed produces humility and joy. The back and forth beauty of giving and gratitude that we see between Paul and the church in Philippi explains their warm connection to each other. This beautiful rhythm of giving and gratitude bore fruit in their relationships - it can do the same for us today!

Thankfulness and Generosity Glorify God

Ultimately, these habits in our lives glorify God. “They are a sweet smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). Paul ends his letter by redirecting his focus to the glory of God as a whole - “Now all glory to God our Father forever and ever!” (verse 20). Paul doesn’t close out this letter by talking about himself, or the Philippians. But he draws the attention back to the Lord. When we truly are thankful and generous, when we truly live in the joy of Christ, that points us and others back to the Father.

This is the ultimate goal of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and our ultimate goal as Christians. To live in such a way that others can see Him clearly - through our joy, through our peace, through our generosity, through our gratitude…even when it doesn’t seem reasonable from a worldly perspective. When we live this way, we confess that we aren’t self-sufficient, but that we have something that comes from a God who is all sufficient.

Let us be a people who overflow with thankfulness and generosity - and glorify God as we do it. Because in our lack, Christ is enough. And when we live from that - God is glorified within us.

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Philippians Week 12: August 24th, 2025. Preached by Claire Kieffer.

Article Edited by Julia Castro