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Have you ever had one of those experiences where joy welled up so deeply inside that you laughed and cried at the same time? You know what I mean — when joy is so overwhelming that your emotions span the extremes. You don’t know whether to giggle or shed a tear. You fight to hold the emotions back, but they emerge with a burst of laughter as tears roll down your cheeks.

Parents know this kind of exuberant joy when one of their children is born … or born again. We’ve mingled tears and joy at the marriage of a son or daughter — a touch of nostalgia for seeing them grown and gone, a smile of relief at not having to support them any longer!

Cynthia and I have often experienced such joy in ministry. Joy in the fact that God chose us to represent His Son. Joy in what He has done in and through us. Joy that Christ continues to have His hand firmly fixed on Insight for Living. And joy that God calls faithful partners who give generously from their means.

Possibly Paul felt like that as he concluded his letter to the Philippians — spontaneously smiling through a few tears.

The Philippians were a compassionate bunch. Paul had numerous needs as he travelled on his missionary journeys. He endured hardships and disappointments, heartaches and afflictions. Through it all, the Philippians provided their support. In fact, no other church demonstrated such personal compassion. They never second-guessed the apostle in his decision to move on; they supported him. They neither judged him when things went well nor complained when times were hard and he had no fruit to show for his labour; they supported him. They felt pain when he hurt, they prayed for him when he was unable to stay in touch, and they sent friends to comfort him when he was in prison (Philippians 4:14–15). They were advocates, no matter what.

What friends! Can’t you just see the corners of Paul’s mouth form into a broad grin and his eyes mist over at the thought of their compassion?

But the Philippians were more than compassionate: They were generous to the point of sacrifice. They graciously and liberally released their treasure for the cause of Christ. Even though Paul was in Thessalonica, a wealthier city than Philippi, they “sent a gift more than once for [Paul’s] needs,” (4:16). He could not have survived without their generosity. But the real treasure for him wasn’t the money itself; it was their sacrificial hearts … their spontaneous participation in furthering the gospel of Christ which would increase “the profit [in their] account,” (4:17).

Today, we need a whole new mentality when it comes to money. Clear thinking regarding financial matters is rare. The greed of this era has caused the subject of money to be tainted and misunderstood. Money, however, is not evil. While it can be abused and become the cause for all sorts of evil (1 Timothy 6:10), how we handle it reveals our spiritual and emotional maturity. Very few things get accomplished in ministry without generous financial support from God’s servants. Let’s face it: Money and ministry usually flow together. There is nothing unspiritual about admitting the need for money in our lives. Consider again Paul and the Philippians … and the Holy Spirit who inspired the man to write about it!

Thanks to the sacrificial generosity of the Philippians, Paul’s needs were regularly met. Why would that surprise us? That’s how it’s supposed to be! As the gift is given, prompted by the Spirit of God, it comes, as Paul said, “as a fragrant aroma,” giving God great delight (Philippians 4:18). How about that! Even the Lord smiles when His children give generously.

As a result of such generosity, Paul’s heart bursts forth with gratitude. And if you listen closely, you might detect the spontaneous laughter that permeated the page as Paul wrote this splendid promise to his friends: “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus,” (4:19). Don’t overlook those three essentials: “… My God … your needs … His riches.” I call that an ideal mixture!

When God is in our hearts of compassion, prompting us to get involved in helping others…when He is in our acts of generosity, honouring our support of those engaged in ministry … when He is in our strong commitments, using our sacrifices to encourage others, He does not forget us in our need. It is all so beautiful, so simple, so right … so joyful. It is enough to make every one of us well up with tears and laugh out loud — all at the same time!

This article was adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Laugh Again (Dallas: Word, 1995), 220–22.
 
About this author:  Chuck Swindoll
 


Chuck Swindoll