Paul often interjected flowery greetings and salutations in his epistles. He was often fluid in his compliments when referring to various churches, but none received the obvious praise and affection as did the churches in Macedonia. When Paul spoke of the churches at Thessalonica, Berea, and Philippi, he could not say enough. He could not hide his love for them, and praised them for their spiritual growth and influence.

One of those churches, the one at Philippi, committed themselves to the prayers and support of Paul personally. There were times the church there was the only one remembering Paul with supplies and communications while he was in prison. Paul referenced their special care for him often.

The church at Philippi demonstrated an obvious gift of giving. Though they themselves were suffering from intense persecution, they gave ‘beyond their power,’ or ability. The Philippians were willing to sacrifice their own needs to supply those of Paul.  He had become their ‘missionary of choice,’ and funneled as much as they could toward him.

Paul was so blessed by their generosity. Of course, their gifts were a blessing to him and an encouragement. But their greatest impact was the message their sacrifice sent to him; they loved him dearly, and wanted him to know it.

In writing to thank them for their gracious support, he included a subtle warning. To the church that was so quick to give abundantly, Paul warned that they be careful in their giving. He wrote in…

Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;

Paul challenged them to continue to grow in their discernment. He commended their generous hearts, but warned that they should be careful to give wisely. As in the world today, there were unscrupulous people infiltrating the churches. Some learned that the church was a soft target when it came to giving. Because of the vibrant teaching on giving by our Lord, believers tended to be quick to giving to requests, sometimes before considering their true need. Mournful appeals were hard to ignore, adding to the difficulty of thorough evaluation.

Because the Macedonian churches were generous givers, Paul encouraged them to continue being generous, but to add to their giving more discernment. They would be wise to pray for wisdom before giving, and ask plenty of questions. The purpose was not to keep them from giving, but so that their giving could be blessed by the Lord.

Let’s be givers; but let’s also be discerning.