For our 25^th wedding anniversary, Kerra and I went into Manhattan to experience the wonders and uniqueness of the world’s greatest city.  In the shadows of the World Trade Center (a few weeks before 911), we decided to take a break and get something to drink.  Sidewalk vendors are everywhere in New York, so it wasn’t hard to find someone peddling cool, refreshing, soft drinks.  The vendor sold only Pepsi products, so I reluctantly paid the man $3.00 for a lukewarm bottle of Pepsi.  Finding an unoccupied park bench, we eagerly sat down to give our weary legs a rest. 

After only a sip or two each, something happened that would require an immediate response from me; otherwise misfortune would come upon us.   I had inadvertently knocked the Pepsi over.  Moderately cool, refreshing soda (that’s what they call it New York), was gushing out into the ground.  I had to act quickly.  There was no time to run around the bench. So I leaped over the bench to salvage what remained of the fizzy drink, cracking my shin in the process.  Was the pain worth saving a few ounces of lukewarm Pepsi?  No.  Absolutely not.  But hey, I paid $3 for that Pepsi!  I didn’t want to see it go to waste.

Another time I was driving somewhere through parched territory in the middle of summer.  Rain had not fallen in months.   Then I saw something that got my attention.  Out in the field, a tanker was gushing water out on the ground. An ignorant bystander, watching the watering go on, might say, “What a waste, just pouring all that water out on the ground like that.” But of course we know that the water was not wasted; it was purposefully being poured out to water the crops that feed thousands of people. There’s a big difference between something which is poured out being wasted, and something poured out being invested for a greater purpose.

In Philippians 2, the Apostle Paul gives us a similar picture of what was happening with his life.  He says it was being “poured out.”A lot of people might think that like my Pepsi, Paul’s life was being wasted.  But that was not the case; Paul’s life was not being wasted.  His life was purposefully being poured out and invested for the Kingdom of God.

In this week’s message on generosity, we’re going to take look at Philippians 2:17, where Paul writes these words: “Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.” 

Both Jews and pagans observed drink offerings in their sacrifices. They often poured out wine (or sometimes perfume) either beside (as in the Jewish practice) or upon (as in the pagan practice) an animal that was sacrificed to God or pagan gods.  By associating himself with a drink offering, Paul was indicating the possibility that his execution may be imminent.  He was making it clear that his life was going to be a sacrifice for Jesus Christ, either in life or in death. This was a source of gladness and joy for Paul, as strange as that may seem.

I can’t help but compare Paul to the Rich Young Ruler, whom we talked about last week.  Jesus invited the young rich man to basically give his life away in exchange for inheriting the kingdom of God.  He thought about it, but his riches were just too substantial to part with, so he declined Jesus’ offer, and turned away with sadness.  Paul, on the other hand, has given his life to Christ, and he is happy about that, whatever it might mean—even death.  Curious, isn’t it, that for one man, holding on to wealth, power, and prestige brought sadness, but for the other man, giving his life away brought great joy to his heart.  That’s generosity at work—turning a death sentence into a celebration.  To pour out your life does not mean to waste it.  On the contrary, when you pour your life out in service to the Lord, you discover joy. Magnificent joy.