The Blessing Blocker

“Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit” (Philippians 4:17).

Ever known somebody who doesn’t get it? No, I don’t mean a person who doesn’t understand your dazzling wit or how to work the cable remote. I’m talking about somebody who simply refuses to receive something offered. A friend wants to help them out but instead of accepting their offer, they give it a stiff arm that would make the Heisman Trophy proud. They don’t get it because they won’t get it.

Accepting assistance can be hard. Nobody likes admitting they need help. We like to show the world just how tough and self-sufficient we are. When sucker punched by circumstances, there’s this weird game we play where we act like we’re some bizarre combo of Bear Grylls, MacGyver, and Rocky Balboa. I’ll show everyone how I can survive all on my own. I’m sure I can disarm this nuclear warhead with a thumbtack and drier lint. I believe I can go the distance if Mickey will just cut my eyes. I don’t need help. I got this. 

If anybody had the right to refuse help it was the Apostle Paul. The guy is an absolute spiritual stud. We’re talking about the person that God used to write most of the New Testament. Have you read his bio (2Cor 11:23-28)? Scourged by the religious police not once, but FIVE times. Beaten with rods three different times. Nearly rocked to sleep with real rocks. A three-time shipwreck survivor. Spent more nights behind bars than he can count. I’m telling you, the dude is nails. 

If that doesn’t convince you he doesn’t need your help, Paul tells his friends back in Philippi that he’s figured out the secret of satisfaction in every situation. Thanks to his trust in Jesus, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). Sure sounds like a guy who doesn’t need a cotton pickin’ thing from anyone. Not from you. Not from me. Not from the Philippians. Not so fast.

Despite the apostle’s contentment in Christ, he readily accepts the care package delivered from the Philippians when Epaphroditus came to visit him in a Roman prison (Phil 2:25; 4:18). As a matter of fact, they have a long-running relationship of supporting the man from Tarsus as he tours the Mediterranean Rim telling folks about Jesus (Phil 4:15-16). Here in chapter four, Paul tells us that one of big reasons he readily receives support from the Philippians is for the blessing the givers are going to get from giving. “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit” (v17). It’s not being selfish but being selfless. God does crazy stuff when we’re crazy generous. He loves to bless the one doing the blessing.

Paul makes it clear he wasn’t dropping hints to the folks of the Philippian church for help. “Not that I seek the gift” (v17). No passive aggressive ploys from the apostle. You know exactly what I’m talking about, don’t you? I’m pretty sure I would give anyone who would listen all sorts of not-so-subtle messages. “Do I need anything? No, I’m fine. Really. I’ve really come to enjoy my cold, dark dungeon. All the long, lonely months have given me time to catch up on writing the Bible. Some folks might be upset about the total lack of food. Not me. I’m back to my high school playing weight! I may be cold, lonely, and hungry, but I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.” I’m sure you’ve never resorted to such disgusting manipulation. Yeah, I didn’t think so.

You see, this isn’t about what Paul can get the Philippians. It’s all about what the Philippians will get from God. “But I seek the fruit that increases to your credit” (v17). The word translated as “fruit” (Gr. karpos) can actually just as easily be read as “profit.” The apostle talks like a certified financial planner to his client about building up their 401k. Instead of piling up cash for retirement, he’s all about helping his friends pile up God’s blessings. And the key to growing the Philippians’ profit is through the Philippians’ own generosity. Could Paul turn down their gift? Sure, he could. But he would be standing in the way God’s blessing to the funky church back in Macedonia.

So just how big a blessing are we talking about here? The apostle is looking for a supernatural windfall for his friends. He’s all about a profit “that increases your credit” (v17). Paul uses a Greek verb (Gr. pleonazo) that means to be more than enough, greatly abound, or overflow. In a letter to another Macedonian church just down the road in Thessalonica, he’s incredibly thankful to God at how “your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing (Gr. pleonazo)” (2Th 1:3). This isn’t a microscopic increase. You don’t have to squint to see the growth. It’s over the top and overflowing profit. It’s been super sized. God has decided to “go large” in His blessing to the Philippians because of their generosity. 

Paul wants us to see that God’s economy turns everything upside down. It’s not about being selfish, but selfless. This is not about what I can get. It’s about what I can get…for YOU. By receiving the generous gift from the Philippians, whether he truly needs it or not, the apostle understands he’s playing a key role in building their spiritual account (Prov 11:24-25; 19:17; Lk 6:38; 2Cor 9:6). Jesus calls this storing up “treasures in heaven” (Mt 6:20). It’s the gift of receiving. When the giver gives generously and the receiver receives gratefully, the Lord flips it around by turning His firehose of grace back on the ones who gave in the first place. Paul may not have asked for this gift, but he’s certainly not blocking their blessing. 

It’s just one more demonstration of how the Gospel does some absolutely whacky stuff for you and me. It’s a reminder of our spiritual condition before Jesus came to the rescue. We try to do it alone. We try to save ourselves. We spend our lives working our tails off to try and follow the rules to earn God’s approval. But we can’t. He demands perfection. That’s where Christ comes in. He lives the perfect life we failed to live. He dies the death for our sin we should have died. He rises to new life we don’t deserve.  Only when we humbly receive what Jesus has done for us do we gain entry into God’s kingdom. 

As a Pharisee, Paul spent his early life trying to dot all the i’s and cross all the t’s of the Old Testament’s rules and regs. Eventually he came to the difficult realization that his religious resume was no better than a big steaming pile (Phil 3:8). He came to learn the only thing to do is admit we all need a Savior and position ourselves under the waterfall of His grace. It’s only when he accepted outside help from Jesus that he received God’s ultimate blessing.

So how about you? Do you see yourself as you a stud of self-sufficiency? Do you continually turn down offers of help because you’re determined to relationally live off the grid? Have you ever considered how you’re impacting the lives of those around us? When we accept assistance, God allows us to play a critical part in His blessing of the giver. Whether we need it or not. Take a lesson from Paul. Don’t be a blessing blocker.