Enough
Joyful Gospel Partnership - Philippians • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction
Good Morning...
Let me ask you something, how do you know if you have enough of something?
We are half way through the month of August so lets use the summer as an example. “Have you had enough summer yet?” That question is going be answered different ways by different people.
When some of us hear that question, we hear
“Have you had enough summer vacation so you are ready to get back to School?”
Some of us would hear “Have you had enough time at the cabin or beach or camping?
Have you had enough time in the boat, fishing? Or playing baseball? Softball? Or Soccer?
Have you had enough time connecting with family and friends around picnics, reunions and outdoor gatherings.
Have you had enough grilling out, drinking lemonader or ice tea?
Have you had enough ice cream? This is Demetri Panciera, an italian who has holds the world record for the most scoops of ice cream on top of a cone. Catch me after the service to guess how many you think is there. He probably doesn’t think there is such thing as enough ice cream.
Using this scale then we would say “No” the summer just went too fast and we wish we could have more Summer time. We just didn’t have enough.
Some of us would say a very emphatic “No” we have not had enough, how could you have enough of these things.
But others of us would answer that question very differently. From our perspective we have had enough Summer.
“We have had enough of the kids being home “boared” all day”
“We have had enough of the hot temperatures and the air conditioning with the high electric bills”
“We have had enough of the monsoon rains, at least this summer when it rains it pours!
“We have had enough of the air conditioner with it’s high electric bills.
“We have had enough of the mosquitoes, gnats and ticks”
“We have had enough of running the kids around to the fishing pier or the baseball, softball or soccer field”
“We have had enough of mowing the lawn”
Using that scale, we would say that we have had enough of summer.
I submit to you that the answer to whether or not you have had enough of something is largely based on the scale you use and how much value you put on the things on that scale. If you are more of a spring, fall or winter person then you reached your “enough” for summer a long time ago. But if you love the summer time then you might think that you never can reach “enough” summer time.
Tension
Of course the reason that I bring this up is not to just give you a moment to reflect on your summer experience, but because the Apostle Paul said that he has found the secret to having enough in every situation he is in. Not just enough of his favorite season in the year, but total contentment at all times.
What would that be like? To have unshakable contentment no matter what was going on around you. To be so satisfied in something that you felt that you really had no unmet needs. The fact that anyone could say such a thing is assounding, but it is especially remarkable when we consider where Paul is at when he made these claims.
And remember where Paul is at when he wrote this letter to the Philippians.
He is imprisoned waiting to hear if he will be released or beheaded. And listen to this, Paul had to rent his place of confinement. It was not 3 hots and a cot paid for by the generosity of the Roman correctional institution. He had to pay his own way, the only thing the Roman government provided for him was a chain to a Roman guard day and night.
If that wasn’t enough, we read about how some of the leaders of the local Christian Church in Rome had become jealous of Paul’s gifts and reputation so they began a smear campaign against him. We can understand a tactic like this because even today there are some “so called” pastors, teachers or evangelist attempt to build their following on the backs of hatred toward other pastors and teachers. Instead of just boldly preaching Jesus as they should, in their envy and jealousy they get peoples attention by condemning other gifted pastors who don’t do ministry the same way they do. This is exactly what Paul was dealing with as he said back in chapter one that, “They are thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
And if that wasn’t enough, Epaphroditus, the man that the Church in Philippi sent to minister to Paul’s need had become so sick that he nearly died. The Philippian Church heard of this, and Paul was worried that the Church would think that this was some sort of sign that Paul was no longer faithfully serving the Lord Jesus so he sent him back to assure them that both He and Paul are doing well.
From all outward appearances it would seem that Paul’s life has given him very little to be content in…and yet, he so confidently declares that he has everything he needs sitting in prison , that you would think that he was sitting in the most luxurious palace your mind can imagine.
Well that is what we are going to look into today so if
Open your Bibles with me to , p. 982, I’ll pray and we will learn Paul’s secret together.
Once we have determined that standard then we have two choices. For example: If we have determined that enough is here (hand up) and we are down here (hand down) then we either have to get more of something or we have to lower the standard of enough.
He has found the secret to having enough, and that is what we are going to look into today so if will open your Bibles with me to , p. 982, I’ll pray and we will learn Paul’s secret together.
You have probably noticed that I have brought back in our mailbox this morning
The Apostle Paul planted this church from a team of people who were very diverse in so many ways. There was Lydia the wealthy fashionista from Asia, the local girl who was delivered from demonic oppression, and the Roman prison guard whose was about to kill himself until the words of Paul and Silas brought him life. This group and others came together to form the Church in Philippi.
We have said repeatedly that this Church for all practical purposes was a healthy Church and so we wanted to know what does a healthy Church look like. We have spent the summer exploring this question from the book of Philippians and from so many different pasts of this book we saw how Paul instructed this Church to continue to be a Joyful Gospel Partnership.
Even last week, when addressing conflict between two women in the Church Paul speaks of their partnership in the Gospel and how they need to “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice”. And we even went old School Sunday School an sang that in a round. Sorry if you missed it. But even in handling conflict the same themes appear - be Joyful in what Christ has done as your partners together to share and live in the life-giving message of the Gospel.
Amidst the doctrinal teachings and guiding principles of the book we might
With so many rich doctrinal teachings and guiding principles in this book, it is easy to loose sight of the fact that it is still a letter from on person to a group of others. So just as we pointed out some familiar letters components in the beginning, we will see them clearly in the closing as well.
Remember we starte
Paul’s situation seemed dire and yet he was Rejoicing in the prison below while the Roman Empower was Stressed out in the Palace above.
Last week: Be anxious about nothing but be prayerful about everything.
Tension
Truth
It was two and a half months ago when I introduced this series with a mailbox and I brought it back out again to remind us that the book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the Church in Philippi. In this very personal letter Paul has given the readers glimpses into his personal feelings as well as teachings on very important doctrine. The Church in Philippi seems to have grown from it’s very diverse beginnings into a a good example of a healthy Church. So much of the letter is the Apostle Paul encouraging them to keep up the good work, but last week we also read of a conflict between two women. Yes, healthy Churches have conflict, but they deal with conflict in healthy ways, so Paul instructs them on how to help these women resolve their conflict.
Paul’s instructions were clear, other mature Christians should come along side these two Christian women and help them to agree in the Lord. They were to not be anxious about anything, but instead to pray about everything. That was their instructions in a nutshell. Then God would move in them from the inside-out and the reconciliation that comes would preserve the Joyful Gospel Partnership that every Church should be.
that
The Apostle Paul planted this churchom a team of people who were very diverse in so many ways. There was Lydia the wealthy fashionista from Asia, the local girl who was delivered from demonic oppression, and the Roman prison guard whose was about to kill himself until the words of Paul and Silas brought him life. This group and others came together to form the Church in Philippi.
We have said repeatedly that this Church for all practical purposes was a healthy Church and so we wanted to know what does a healthy Church look like. We have spent the summer exploring this question from the book of Philippians and from so many different pasts of this book we saw how Paul instructed this Church to continue to be a Joyful Gospel Partnership.
Even last week, when addressing conflict between two women in the Church Paul speaks of their partnership in the Gospel and how they need to “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice”. And we even went old School Sunday School an sang that in a round. Sorry if you missed it. But even in handling conflict the same themes appear - be Joyful in what Christ has done as your partners together to share and live in the life-giving message of the Gospel.
Last week: Be anxious about nothing but be prayerful about everything.
The book of Philippians has a lot verses that so rich that many people have commited them to memory. In fact the book has been called one of the “coffee mug” books of the Bible, because if you were to go into a Christian bookstore or website you will found so many Philippian Verses on coffee mugs, posters, greeting cards etc and it makes it too easy to forget the context of these very quotable verses.
The book of Philippians is a letter written in time from on person, the Apostle Paul, to a group of people, the Church in Philippi. So just as we identified some components of a personal letter in the beginning of our study of this book, we will see many of them here in the closing as well.
The closing really begins in verse 8 when Paul says,
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
That is a kind of closing to the doctrinal instructions and applications of the letter and then Paul moves on to a personal response to the gifts that the Church in Philippi had sent. Even though he is talking specifically to the Church in Philippi here, we can take away some very applicable principles.
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
We see the recurring theme of “rejoicing in the Lord” here, but notice that it is in the past tense. In the letter he is writing now he is remembering back to the moment that he received the gifts from the Church in Philippi. He is remembering how he recieved them with great joy, but his joy is not a selfish or self serving joy, it is a Gospel Partnership Joy.
He doesn’t say that “if you weren’t for you guys at Philippi all would have been lost”
He doesn’t say, “I am so glad that you guys swooped in to rescue me”
He doesn't say, “I really needed this money and you guys came through for me in a big way at just in the nick of time”
Paul’s focus is not that his physical needs are being met, but that their Joyful Gospel Partnership had been affirmed. He rejoices “in the Lord” that the Church in Philippi has not rejected him as so many in the Church in Rome had. These gifts were a sign to him that their Friendship in Christ remained.
Paul is not even focused on the meeting of his physical needs here, he is rejoicing that their Joyful Gospel Partnership had been affirmed. He rejoices “in the Lord” that the Church in Philippi has not rejected him as so many in the Church in Rome had. These gifts were a sign to Paul that their Gospel Partnership continued.
We don’t know exactly why they “had no opportunity”. It could have been financial issues, or government prevention, or just not having someone who was able to travel the 800 miles on foot to deliver the gifts. We don’t know, but what we can deduce is that Paul got the message thah they would have sent the gifts earlier if they could. They would have sent him this reassurance of their continued partnership earlier if they could have. For whatever reason, they just couldn’t until now. But when it came...
Paul rejoiced in the
Paul rejoiced in the
Paul rejoiced in their partnership, more than their presents.
Paul rejoiced in their partnership, more than their presents.
Often time pastors are a little leery about talking about the giving of gifts, especially financial gifts, because it seems that people can be sensitive about these things. They may have attended Churches where it seemed to them that the Church was more interested in being effecting in taking an offering they were in being effecting giving away the Gospel. But Paul didn’t seem to have a problem talking about these things, because He never saw gifts themselves as the valuable part. To him they served only as a sign that God is doing something great in the heart of the givers.
Elsewhere Paul taught it this way:
10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity.
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
This is one of the reasons that we don’t pass offering plates here at Friendship. Not that we are down on any Church that does, but we don’t want you to ever feel pressure from us to give financially to what is happening here. We don’t want you to give “reluctantly or under compulsion”. We only want gifts that are given cheerfully.
You know the Greek word for “cheerful” there is “hilaros”. It is the root word for where we get “hilarious”. The idea is that you are having a great time giving to the work that you know God is doing in his Church. That is what we want to see happening in our giving. We don’t want reluctant gifts, only hilarious gifts of joy and obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Did you notice how many times the word “all” is mentioned? All grace, all sufficiency, in all things at all times. Paul’s secret to enough is starting to come out even here in 2 Corinthians. What does Paul say is the purpose of having “all sufficiency” or we could say “having enough” in all things at all times?
Did you notice how many times the word “all” is mentioned? All grace, all sufficiency, in all things at all times. Paul’s secret to enough is starting to come out even here in 2 Corinthians. What does Paul say is the purpose behind having “all sufficiency” or we could say “having enough” in all things at all times?
The purpose is “So that ...you may abound every good work.”
The purpose is “So that ...you may abound every good work.” Hold on to that, we will come back to it, but for now we are seeing how Paul looks at these gifts not as the source of relief from his trials, but as a sign that God is still moving in hearts of his friends in Philippi as they are still in Joyful Gospel Partnership together.
Hold on to that, we will come back to it, but for now we are seeing how Paul looks at these gifts not as the source of his salvation, but as a sign that the Church in Philippi has not rejected him, but they are still in Joyful Gospel Partnership together.
So that you may about every good work.
renewed relationship in between focus is not the receiving of the gift itself, but what it means about the giver.
Paul was content in his Savior, more than his situations
Paul was content in his Savior, more than his situations
Phil 4:
After rejoicing in the Lord that they are still concerned for Him, Paul wants to clarify that his does not see himself as being in need.
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
Remember that Paul was a very learned man, so where did Paul learn this secret? Did he learn this at synagogue school when he was a boy? No. Did he learn it studying to become a Pharisee, the highest level of education at the time? Nope. Did he learn it at the feet of Gameliel, the esteamed rabbi that Paul sat under as a disciple for time? No, not there either. This learning is not the kind of learning that can happen in a classroom setting, he learned this by walking with Jesus.
Jesus led him into the honor and respect of many ups... and the pain and struggle of many more downs. These were planned for Paul at the beginning of his life with Jesus. Paul shared in many of his letter his story of meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus. It was his testimony. The Lord Jesus blinded him with a great light as he called out his name and claimed him for his own. He was then led by his men into a particular little town and the Lord Jesus sent one of his faithful disciples to go to him and minister to him. This disciples name was Ananias and he was understandably reluctant to go minister to this man in the name of Jesus when he was well known to be in this region to arrest and kill people who ministered in the name of Jesus. The story is in Acts chapter 9, but this was Jesus’ response to Ananias about the call that he had placed on Paul’s life:
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
Wow! What a high calling. A Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew. So in saying “Gentile” and “The children” of Israel that means that he is going the name of Jesus to everyone. Everyone is a big group. Not only that, but right in the middle we see he is going to carry the name of Jesus even into the throne room of Kings. What a high honor. To be chosen as an ambassador to kings is no small order. And Paul certainly had the pedigree, education and language skills to do this…but Jesus isn’t through describing Paul’s calling.
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
Whenof life as the Apostle Paul were planned way before
Acts 9:
Acts 9 who was known
And suffer he did. He even gives us a list of his sufferings in 2 Corinthians:
8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
He also mentions many things that he gloried in, just like he did earlier in , but then he says:
2 Cor 11:
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Phil
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
2 Corinthians 11:
8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
This is how Paul could say that he had “enough”. He didn’t consider the weight of his struggles of any value. He didn’t put value in his successes either. He placed his value in Christ Alone. His secret to contentment is that all he truly wants is to have more and more of Jesus Christ. To know his presence, his glory, and even share in his suffering all so that when he meets him in glory he will hear “well done, good and faithful servant.” Because Paul’s contentment is found in more of his Savior Jesus, Having enough is simply having enough to serve Jesus well. And we can know that we have enough of that, because everything that we need to follow Jesus is given to us…by Jesus.
This brings us to our final point:
Paul was certain of his source, no matter his struggle.
Paul was certain of his source, no matter his struggle.
PHil 4:11
Of course might be the most quotable verse in whole of Philippians
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Phil 4:13
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
You probably have heard this verse, it is a favorite among athletes and others and for good reasons.
I am particularly familiar with it from my days as a puppeteer. Oh, yeah. You heard me right, I am pretty good with those foamy little floppy arm guys. The reason that this verse reminds me of of my puppeteer days is that we had a training track, (on a cassette tape to tell how long ago it was), where the instructor would have us hold our arms up for the entire length of the song while continuing to mouth, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me...” and our arms would get tired and start to burn and our words would start to not match and we would complain but we would keep going because “I can do all things...”
Seems to be a “sports” verse
That is not exactly the wrong idea when looking at this verse, but it is not the complete idea either. Too often we look at this verse and all we see the promise of success. For a football team in means touchdowns. For a runner it means finishing strong. For a puppeteer it means keeping your hurting arm up in the air longer than seems humanly possible…I can do all things…
But the truth is that in context Paul is not just talking about being satisfied in successes. Remember the secret of his contentment is that he has it even when he is brought low. He has it when he abounds, but he also has it when he is brought low. So it is not just about winning well, it is also about losing well. Many coaches will tell you that they have seen their team lean more in losses then in wins.
When Paul says, “All things” he doesn’t mean that Jesus will make him successful in anything that he decides to try, it means that anything that Paul does for the glory of God will be successful in giving God glory - even if He falls flat on his face in it. God often uses our failures to grow us more like Jesus than our successes. So if your goal is to be like Jesus, just like Paul’s is, then you can know full contentment because God will use your successes and your failures to grow you like Jesus.
Other places Paul talks about is
seems unsuccessful from outside eyes.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
When you aim your life at becoming more like Jesus then “all things”, the highs and lows work together toward the good... of God’s Purposes for you . Or again we can look back at
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
Paul’s having “Enough” is not about a magic number in dollars, hours, seasons or freedoms. Enough for Paul is having everything that he needs to accomplish the work that Jesus has given him to do.
And I love how Paul closes his thoughts on this. If we didn’t know that this was a letter then this would be a weird next sentence but since we do know this context it totally makes sense.
He wanted them to know that
He rejoiced in their partnership, more than their presents (gifts)
He rejoiced in their partnership, more than their presents (gifts)
because he really didn’t treasure the gifts they gave as much as what those gifts meant. The ymeant that they were still partnered together in the work of the Gospel. That brought him so much Joy.
He wanted them to know that
He was content in his Savior, more than his situation.
He was content in his Savior, more than his situation.
He really didn’t see that he had needs, because he had everything that he needed to do what he had been called to do. Any day now he would be going before another King, just as Jesus said, and in the mean time he was suffering in prison, just as Jesus said. So he didn’t see that really had any unmet needs, especially because
He was certain of his source, no matter the struggle.
He was certain of his source, no matter the struggle.
With his focus being the work that Jesus sent him to do, he had everything that Jesus promised he would have. And so he says, in such a personal and loving way:
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.
The word “share” there is a form of the recurring word “Koinonia” which means partnership. He is so blessed that they would continue to partner with him even as he sits in prison rejected by so many other Christians.
Gospel Application
The secret to having “Enough” is found in what you are valuing. Financial advisors will tell you there is not such thing as enough money. Travel Companies will tell you there is no such thing as “Enough Vacationing”. Sports enthusiast will tell you that there is no such thing as enough of …whatever sport they live for. But the Apostle Paul will say that there is a way to have enough of the most important thing in life - We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
So
Financial advisors will tell you there is not such thing as enough money.
Each one of us was designed for a relationship with God and until that relationship is realized we will never feel as if we have “Enough”. We will always be struggling for more, we will always be struggling with discontentment, because we were not made to live with out God.
I remember that it was explained to me once that each one of us has a “God shaped” hole in our hearts, where God was designed to dwell. Since God and sin can’t exist together, my choice to sin has meant that I don’t have something that I desperately need. I can try and fill that hole with all kinds of other things but nothing else fits there, nothing else will satisfy. The only way to have contentment like this is to be made whole again by trusting in Jesus Christ to fill that empty place. If you think that you have never done that before, then come see me after the service. I would love to talk with you about what that means and help you to take the next step to having the kind of relationship with God that you were meant to have.
If you haven’t done that yet, then today would be a great day. Come see me after the service and lets talk.
We were designed to operate in a relationship with God. And the only way that the relationship with God that we destroyed by our sin can be repaired is if someone paid my debt.
through the work of Jesus Christ. His deathDo you have that relationship with Jesus? If you don’t then today would be a great day to take a first step in that direction. Come talk to me or someone else here that you trust has that relationship.
Some of us may have done this, maybe even a long time ago and yet you still feel a level of discontentment right now. You remember when Jesus filled that empty place and you rejoiced that you sins were forgiven and you had a right relationship with God that you were designed to have, but now many years later you are struggling because you feel far from God. I submit to you that God often uses something I call a “holy discontentment” to get the attention of His children. You were never meant to just be born again. Just as you were “born” the first time, you were meant to grow as Child of God. You were never meant to be “born again” and then remain a Spiritual infant. You meant to grow and mature and be used by God to help others grow and mature. We call that process “discipleship” and we as a Church are committed to see you grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
So you heard from Jesse this morning about some discipleship opportunities that are coming up this fall. If you are feeling a discontentment in your spiritual walk in Christ then let me encourage you to take part in one or both of these groups. As a Church we are committed to see you mature as a Disciple of Jesus Christ and it very well may be that the “holy discontentment” that you are feeling is meant to get your attention in this area.
Landing
Let me close with these words of the Apostle Paul, even as I pray that we would claim them for ourselves at Friendship Church:
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
Landing
Last week: Be anxious about nothing but be prayerful about everything.
Corrie Ten boom said that if it isn’t worth burdening the Lord over then it isn’t worth bothering with at all - (or something close to that)
8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
2 Cor 9
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.