ust note in passing the tender metaphor by which the
Philippians' renewed thought of him is likened to a tree's putting forth
its buds in a gracious springtide, and may link with it the pretty fancy
of an old commentator whom some people call prosaic and puritanical
(Bengel), that the stormy winter had hindered communication, and that
Epaphroditus and the gifts came with the opening spring.

Paul's inborn delicacy and quick considerateness comes beautifully
forward in his addition, to remove any suspicion of his thinking that
his friends in Philippi had been negligent or cold. Therefore he adds
that he knew that they had always had the will. What had hindered them
we do not know. Perhaps they had no one to send. Perhaps they had not
heard that such help would be welcome, but whatever frost had kept the
tree from budding, he knew that the sap was in it all the same.

We may note that trait of true friendship, confidence in a love that did
not express itself. Many of us are too exacting in always wanting
manifestations of our friend's affection. What cries out for these is
not love so much as self-importance which has not had the attention
which it thinks its due. How often there have been breaches of intimacy
which have no better reason than 'He didn't come to see me often
enough'; 'He hasn't written to me for ever so long'; 'He does not pay me
the attention I expect.' It is a poor love which is always needing to be
assured of another's. It is better to err in believing that there is a
store of goodwill in our friends' hearts to us which only needs occasion
to be unfolded. One often hears people say that they were quite
surprised at the proofs of affection which came to them when they were
in trouble. They would have been happier and more nearly right if they
had believed in them when there was no need to show them.

II. Consciousness of Christ-given independence and of 'content' is
scarcely Paul's whole idea here, though that, no doubt, is included. We
have no word which exactly expresses the meaning. 'Self-sufficient' is a
translation, but then it has acquired a bad meaning as connoting a false
estimate of one's own worth and wisdom. What Paul means is that whatever
be his condition he has in himself enough to meet it. He does not depend
on circumstances, and he does not depend on other people for strength to
face them. Many words are not needed to insist that only the man of whom
these things are true is worth callin