Freely given

By: Alistair Begg – August 24, 2026.

Key points

• News Seung Min Kim, Associated Press, Jesse Bedayne, Associated Press August 21, 2026.
• State Board of Education hears update on Okolona School District's financial woes, latest statewide MAAP scores.
• Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry since 1975.
• President Donald Trump announces plan to lower beef rates, but some Republicans are already balking.
• Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby is confident in roster upgrades, but the SEC schedule is tough.

It was kind of you to share my trouble. When I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. – Philippians 4: 14-15, and you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel.

To be a Christian is to be a receiver and a giver.

Plenty of of us have been educated on the importance of having a retirement account to which we produce consistent contributions. As believers we must additionally consider our giving and investing in light of eternity, yet while it would be wrong for us to completely dismiss the matter of making sound financial decisions.

In his letter to the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul commended his brothers and sisters in Christ for their willingness to "share trouble"-a partnership that included the sharing and giving of material gifts. The Philippians' generosity was outstanding in that it stood in direct contrast to the absence of such backing for Paul from other churches. Although their church was a fledgling congregation, the Philippian believers had determined from the particularly outset that they would backing the apostle in his gospel work.

Their backing for Paul was not only outstanding but additionally longstanding. The Philippians' giving wasn't sporadic. Rather, it was marked by consistency and continuity as they sought to support him with his needs again and again. Although a decade had elapsed since Paul first preached the gospel to them, these men and women were still committed.

Their giving was not the result of a one-time emotional surge nor the product of external manipulation. No, this early church offered in the awareness that everything they possessed had been given freely to them. Indeed, in sending out the disciples, Jesus had reminded them that since they "received without paying, " they were to "give without pay" (Matthew 10: 8). In other words, the foundation of sacrificial, generous, resourceful partnership is the grace of God. That foundation is established when we understand that all we are and all we have-all our resources, our gifts, and our talents-is from Him.

We do not all have the same gifts or capacity for giving-and monetary giving is certainly not the only avenue for benevolence! Yet since we are all recipients of what God has given to us, we will all be those who look to offer to others. God has purposefully put His individuals together in such a way that we are each to provide "according to the grace given to us" (Romans 12: 6). We shouldn't offer simply as we've been manipulated or since we listened to a stirring song that brought us to the point of tears, nor should we provide since we'll secure our name on a building or a bench. No, we should offer for one reason and one reason only: as God has so freely and so generously given to us.

Regarding the Author(s).

Alistair Begg has been in pastoral ministry since 1975. After graduation from The London School of Theology, he served eight years in Scotland at both Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh and Hamilton Baptist Church. In 1983, he became the senior pastor at Parkside Church near Cleveland, Ohio. He has written a number of books and is heard daily and weekly on the radio program, Truth For Life. His Daily Devotionals are presented here via a syndication agreement. Faith Alistair Begg August 20, 2026.

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For now, freely given remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.