-Paul was in chains, but he actually had more than enough thanks to the generosity of the assembly in Philippi. I have everything, he says. When was the last time I said that? Or that you heard anyone say that? Is not the spirit of our age one of constantly striving for more, constantly looking around the bend for a little bit more, the latest and greatest gadget or update, the next adrenaline rush or gourmet delight or sight to see, a little bit bigger house or car or bed or refrigerator or television, the next piece of cotton candy to try and stuff into the bottomless hole in my heart in a vain attempt to try and find lasting satisfaction in the temporal? I have everything. It wasn’t because of what paul had - it was Who he had.
-But despite his adverse circumstances (remember he was in chains), Paul has the selflessness and others-centeredness enough to turn around and affirm and bless his friends here. You know how when you give a gift to someone, you sort of sit on the edge of your seat while they open it, hoping that they will like it? No doubt the Philippians had similar aspirations re their gift to Paul. Well, Paul does that one better. Not only does he make it clear how much HE appreciates their gift, but he adds that God Himself is in fact quite pleased with their gift. Their generosity brought much pleasure to God. The act of giving can provide a great feeling of satisfaction and joy for the giver as well as the receiver, but Paul mentions this additional incentive here. Yes, the generosity of God’s people gives Him pleasure (cf 2Cor 9.7).
-Pleasing God is a theme that is woven throughout Scripture, but this notion of pleasing God, of making Him happy, is sadly beyond the ambitions of many believers. We are way more interested in pleasing ourselves and minimizing our discomfort while trying to merely manage our sin and not make God angry. We are mired in this much more self-centered and childish approach to life and faith. We are the prodigal or the dutiful first-born (take your pick), both of whom miss out on the joys of their father. It's all about me. And to be sure, we are wired as self-centered creatures, half-hearted, many of us never rising very far above this slavish devotion to self. We live on spiritually like a typical child who is too absorbed with their own interests to be much concerned with what actually gives mom or dad pleasure - not all of us, but many of us. Yet to ascend to the lofty realms of pursuing the pleasures of God (in which we also find our greatest joy) - this requires the ability to step outside of yourself and your own interests. What it really requires is a radical self-ectomy... (cf Mt 16.24; as exemplified in the person of Jesus - cf Phil 2.5-7) A process with which God is more than ready to comply (have you read about Aslan and Eustace the dragon?)
-What exactly is it that pleases the Lord? What puts a smile on His face? What makes Him happy? Living into the answer to this question should and must become the full time obsession of any believer. Rom 8.8, 1Cor 7.32, 2Cor 5.9, Gal 1.10, Eph 5.8-10, Col 1.10, Col 3.22-23, 1Th 2.4, 1Th 4.1, 2Tim 2.4, Heb 11.5-6, Heb 13.15-16, Heb 13.20-21, 1Jn 3.22. We are told that the Lord delights in His people and in blessing them (Jer 32.41, Deut 28.63, Ps 35.27), and He delights when His people obey and do what is right and just (1Sam 15.22, 1Ki 10.9, 1Chr 29.17, Ps 51.19, Mt 23.23), and He takes particular delight when the hearts of His people are completely His (Deut 6.4-5, 2Chr 16.9). This at least gives us a jumping off point.
-It is important as well not to miss the aromatic component of devotion to which Paul is clearly alluding here. Burnt offerings historically played a huge role in the devotional life of God’s people. Over and over we read where the subsequent burning of a sacrified animal is decribed as a ‘soothing aroma’ to the Lord (Gen 8.21, Ex 29.18, Lev 1.9, Num 15.13-14, to list a few). Additionally, we read of grain offerings - a combination of fine flour and oil (Lev 2.4) along with some salt (Lev 2.13) which was then topped with more oil and frankincense (Lev 2.1) and burned to produce another kind of soothing aroma to the Lord (Lev 2.9, Lev 6.15). (in fact, ‘soothing aroma’ is mentioned 38x in the Pentateuch). There was perpetual incense burning in the temple as well, and the special oil used for anointing the priests was loaded with spices (Ex 30.34-37, Ex 30.7-8, Ex 30.23-24) - clearly our God has a well developed sense of smell and He finds pleasure in certain smells (Num 29.6). He has made us the same way - is there not something wonderfully inspiring and almost spiritual about encountering a pleasing aroma? Recent studies indicate that the average person is able to distinguish between over 1 trillion unique odors. Smell is described as the most important of the senses. Most of taste is actually tied to smell. Smell is the only sense which affects the memory and emotion part of the brain. In fact, it is unique among the senses in that it is processed in an entirely different part of the brain. To be sure, God Himself must have an amazing and extremely acute sense of smell. Surely it is no coincidence that death is accompanied by a most foul stench. Inversely, prayers (so, words and thoughts?) and deeds which are generous and which give life are described as a sweet-smelling fragrance which brings great pleasure to the Lord (cf Ps 141.2, Rev 5.8, Rev 8.3-4). Sure, the aroma is spiritual as opposed to purely physical, and yet the Lord’s senses clearly are attuned to the nuances of the words and deeds and even the thoughts of His people (cf Ps 94.11, Ps 139.2-4, Is 66.18, Mt 9.4, Heb 4.13). He can smell our hearts from way ore than a mile away! In a similar way, people are even wired with the abillity to get a spiritual whiff of Christ emanating from our lives, even if their senses are not actually tuned to discern what they are smelling (2Cor 2.14-16). Thus for those who do follow Christ, we find additional incentive to do what we can to keep in step with God’s Spirit today and every day, trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord, aware that what we think and say and do is constantly giving off either a pleasing aroma or one which reeks, particularly to the Lord but to those around us as well.
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