Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
Philippians 4:17-18 NIV
When Paul wrote this, he was a prisoner of Rome, and dependent on friends and family to supply his needs. The church at Philippi had taken up a love offering to send to him, and here, at the end of his letter to them, he thanked them for their sacrificial support.
Paul expressed to the Philippian church that their gift had been credited to their account. This is the heavenly account that Jesus referred to in Matthew 6:19-21. In giving their gift to Paul, they had laid up treasure in heaven.
Paul also expressed that their gift was a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, and pleasing to God. While Paul was the immediate recipient of their gift, God considered it as a sacrifice offered to himself.
What Paul had to say to the church at Philippi is just as true for us today. Whenever we give to meet the needs of others, especially our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we are offering a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing to God. God is good. And he will not forget the good we do for others. He will richly reward us for the investment we make in the lives of other people.
